Mercado upstages Messi as he readies for big move

Patrik Mercado celebrated his move to Sevilla by scoring against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, even if it was not enough to earn Ecuadorean club Independiente del Valle a draw in the friendly played this week in Puerto Rico. Inter won 2-1 in a match notable for both teams wearing kits of the same color.

Mercado on the market

After Santiago Morales put Miami ahead 1-0, Mercado capitalized on a defensive mistake and equalized with a left-footed strike from the middle of the box. His ability to arrive late into the area and finish is one of the qualities Sevilla identified before deciding to pay around €6 million for him, pending several conditions including available salary-cap space and an open non-EU roster slot.

Messi converted a penalty to make it 2-1, but Mercado later had another clear chance to level the match again. Afterward, the soon-to-be Sevilla midfielder spoke publicly for the first time about his new destination.

“All of us who come through Independiente’s academy dream of playing in Europe. I’m very happy. I have to keep working to improve and grow. I believe it’s all thanks to God. Things are going my way, and I’m going for more,” Mercado told Andrés Ponce.

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