Lionel Messi is already making MLS look simple. In his first start for Inter Miami he scored twice and got an assist in a 4-0 win over Atlanta United as his new side, currently bottom of the Eastern Conference, finally begin to win games.
Messi’s highlight reel from that game features his greatest movements from his career, but played out in half-speed. He didn’t get out of second gear as Atlanta became the 100th club victims that he has scored against in his career, with Sergio Busquets providing the ammo for his one-man massacre.
There’s been some complaints that, even two games in, this might be a little too easy for Messi. But wasn’t it always going to be this way, wherever the 36-year-old chose to play out his final years? Just eight months ago the greatest player of all time was lifting the World Cup, having inspired his nation to his own crowning glory. He was making the very best defenders on the planet look ordinary, so no wonder he looks so comfortable against those playing in the USA.
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As a result of his World Cup win and complete brilliance, he’s also likely to pick up the Ballon d’Or in October - the first MLS player to do so. So far the US has embraced Messi and it seems as though Miami is the perfect location to flourish. It’s a bilingual city, which suits the Spanish-speaking Messi down to the ground, while he has been learning English for the past three years.
It also provides a new life for his family, and allows his children to become more versed in the English language. They are able to take in a different part of the world, and flourish in a place where their dad's celebrity status isn’t quite so high. That's shown by the fact that Messi was spotted in a supermarket in his first week in Miami, a simple task that he must have avoided in Barcelona and Paris due to his huge level of fame.
It’s a simpler life, both on the pitch and off it. He’s still getting paid a huge amount of money, but has a lot less pressure to deal with, just as Gareth Bale predicted. "It is a lot more chilled," Bale told BT Sport. "If you lose at Real Madrid, it is like the world has ended. You are crucified. You feel down. You go home and you're not happy.
"They accept losing a bit more [in MLS]. There is no consequence. You can't get relegated over there. When you lose a game you go on to the next one. They accept losing a lot better over there. They know how to lose but they celebrate every win like you have won the championship. He will definitely enjoy it."
At 36, Messi is still one of the greatest players in the world, as he showed in Qatar, but the desire to push himself in an elite league has gone. He simply doesn’t need to do it to himself. The Argentine has won everything there is to win in football, and proved himself to be the greatest of all time.
Now he’s simply showcasing his talents to the United States in front of a celebrity audience, all while giving his family a different view of life in a bilingual city. His two-and-a-half-year unprecedented contract will see him take a percentage of new Apple TV subscriptions and a stake in the club after retirement, so he has cleverly set himself up for a life after playing in the States.
With the United States hosting the next two major international tournaments for Messi, the Copa America in 2024 and the World Cup in 2026, Miami truly is the perfect place for him to wind down. It may not provide the same test as La Liga or Ligue 1 did, but that’s the whole point. The greatest of all time has completed football. Now he can relax on Miami Beach.
