When his contract at Paris Saint-Germain expired, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner chose to pursue his passion in America instead. The Barcelona legend made an immediate impact in the United States, winning the League Cup in Florida only weeks after arriving.
Messi was unable to inspire MLS Cup victory, with Fuchs and Charlotte FC helping to kιII his hopes, but the 2022 World Cup champion is anticipated to make significant changes to American soccer’s salary cap structure while also trying to add to his record-brеɑkinɡ prize haul.
Premier League title winner Fuchs, who is a now a coach in Charlotte, has told The Mirror of the past, present and future for Messi: “It wasn’t ƅеаting Messi’s team that made it so special. It was winning a game that we had to win to make the play-offs that gave the players and coaching staff a big sense of achievement. What the players did so well was not to fall into the trap of concentrating on one world-class player and forget about the rest of Inter Miami’s team. It was a proud moment. Messi is still a phenomenon. He has come to the States for business rather than pleasure – and anyone who doubts that should look at how he scored 11 goals in just 14 games. He really wants to win. Inter Miami also had Busquets. Now David Beckham has signed Luis Suarez. This has brought a lot of focus to the MLS, but I think the league is now coming to a stage where it has to ease things like salary caps and restrictions on which players clubs can sign.
“If the MLS wants to keep growing, by attracting international stars who are at the peak of their careers rather than towards the end, then the decision-makers must loosen the rules. The next stage has to be to deliver a product that isn’t just attractive to Messi fans or Suarez fans – and that means changing the structure. That’s the only way to appeal to a world-wide audience. In my opinion, that might be the most important legacy that Messi brings to the MLS. There is a realisation that the Premier League is the best not because there are one or two stars, but because every team has really top players.”
