Lionel Messi’s first year in MLS: Quotes, stats, trophies

“I made the decision that I am going to go to Miami,” said Lionel Messi, on 7 June 2023. “If it had been a matter of money I would have gone to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere. It seemed like a lot of money to me and the truth is that my decision was for the other side and not for money.”

After the expiration of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain last summer, Messi had been tipped to return to Barcelona. However the club’s dubious financial situation made a comeback impossible and he packed his bags for South Florida, embarking on a new adventure with Inter Miami.

One year on from that bombshell announcement, we take a look back on Messi’s first year in MLS...

Quotes about Messi’s move to Inter Miami

Despite persistent talk of interest from MLS, and a history of European stars moving to the States to end their careers, the confirmation came as a shock for fans around the world. Former club Barcelona had been hoping to tempt Messi back to Camp Nou and released a spikey club statement in response to his MLS decision:

“President Laporta understood and respected Messi’s decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years,” the statement read.

Inter Miami president David Beckham was, understandably, more enthused by Messi’s decision. In an interview with AFP he called the signing a “gift”:

“It’s a very proud thing for me to have as an owner, to have a player like that, the best player in the world, in our team... We always knew that bringing Leo to America, not just to Miami, it was our gift to America and the MLS.”

Former MLS and USMNT star Cobi Jones was just as excited about Messi’s impending arrival, describing it as a game-changer for the league:

“This turns everything on its head where you’re going to have another level. As it was David Beckham who started that first wave of players and international players who said, ‘Hey I’m going to start coming again.’ This is going to happen again on another level with Messi.”

Lionel Messi’s stats and trophies with Inter Miami

When Lionel Messi agreed to sign for Inter Miami he was joining a team stranded at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, who had recently sacked their head coach and who had never won a trophy. Messi’s commercial impact was predictable but few expected his on-field impact to be just as historic.

His first seven Inter Miami appearances came in the Leagues Cup, where he scored ten goals and led the team to its first piece of silverware. Miami’s MLS hopes for 2023 were remote when he joined and they failed to make it to the playoffs but Messi would waste little time in making his influence known in 2024.

So far this season he has contributed 14 goals and 11 assists across 15 appearances, an astonishing rate of production. In total he has racked up 25 goals and 16 assists in his first 29 games for Inter Miami, truly historic output from the 36-year-old. He is a goal-scorer, an assist-provider and the centrepiece of the team’s build-up play.

Just one year after joining Inter Miami he has already lifted the club’s first trophy and led them into the CONCACAF Champions Cup for the very first time. He became the first MLS player to win the Ballon d’Or while playing in the league and, incredibly, is now just four goals away from Inter Miami’s all-time scoring record. Quite the first year for Lionel Andres Messi.