Inter Miami, Barcelona, Saudi Arabia, the Premier League or some other destination. The future of Lionel Messi is the great question that reveals to the world of football already defined all the leagues of Europe and waiting for the final of the Champions League, in a season break that promises novels and soap operas of all kinds.
Of all these options, much is said and said about the MLS team, a growing region with the horizon marked by two culminating dates: the Super Copa America 2024 (which will include Concacaf teams) and the 2026 World Cup of 48 combined, which will be played in Mexico, the United States and Canada. with preponderance of dates in the country of the stars and stripes.
But beyond the glamour of the city and the economic power of Inter Miami whose most visible face is David Beckham, the team marches last in that league and comes from throwing out its coach to replace a 43-year-old Argentine who is going for his first experience in that position, Javier Morales, remembered former footballer of Arsenal and Lanús, among other teams.
Javier Morales, in charge of Inter Miami of the MLS.
Beckham, co-owner of the franchise, was responsible for announcing last Thursday the dismissal of his friend and former teammate at Manchester United, Phil Neville, who had Inter at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table. He also said that his assistant, Morales, would be his relief on an interim basis.
If the former Arse dreamed of extending his chance in front of the team, he did not have the best of starts: on Saturday he lost at home 2-1 to DC United led by Wayne Rooney. Tonight he will take his second step when he plays against Birmingham Legion FC for the quarterfinals of the US Open Cup, the local cup that brings together professional and amateur clubs from Yankee soil.
Morales made a playing career with Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas of the North American league until his retirement in 2017, when he began a career as a training coach and then assistant to Neville.
The former Racing and San Lorenzo, Sebastián Saja, goalkeeper coach of Inter Miami. Photo: Instagram.
The Inter leadership opted to appoint Morales as interim coach and not the American Jason Kreis, another more experienced assistant to Neville.
It is that the club has its albiceleste heart. Along with Morales, the goalkeeper coach is Sebastián Saja, who played four games with the Argentine National Team and was an idol of Racing and San Lorenzo.
Former Argentine midfielder Federico Higuain, whose brother Gonzalo retired last year from football at Inter, is the reserve team's coach in Miami, assisted by compatriot Cristian Raul Ledesma.
Spanish is also widely used in the wardrobe. South American players include Argentine defender Franco Negri and forward Nicolas Stefanelli, while Miami-born youngster Benjamin Cremaschi was called up for Argentina's U20 training camp in December.
The Argentine Nicolas Stefanelli, in the center and with the shirt 22. Photo: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports.
Although the Saudi league yearns to recruit Messi and FC Barcelona dreams of his return, from Inter Miami it is not ruled out that they can convince the Argentine to, at 35 years old, change Paris for the sunny state of Florida before playing the 2024 Copa America in the United States.
MLS itself, a league that sets salary limits for teams, has expressed in recent months its openness to finding creative formulas to offer a competitive offer to the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.
David Beckham has been behind Messi for some time.
Before losing his position, Neville admitted in recent months that Inter, which has several vacancies for franchise players, also has an interest in Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, who has just said goodbye to Barcelona.
Apart from the activity in the offices, Inter have a lot of work to do on the pitch to get back on track and show that they can offer Messi a competitive team.
Brothers Gonzalo and Federico Higuain leave for Inter Miami.
Since joining MLS in 2020, Beckham's team has only qualified for the playoffs once and ended that presence with a loss in the first round of 2022.
Neither the Uruguayan Diego Alonso, first coach of the team, nor the dismissed Neville could form a squad that fought for the championship despite the great investment that was made in renowned signings, although of advanced age, such as the Frenchman Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuaín himself.
If anyone thinks that Miami is a peaceful destination without pressure when it comes to playing soccer, they are wrong. Neville's departure came after two defeats but also as a result of the booing and impatience of the fervent local public, with marked Latin DNA, which is eager to celebrate some joy.
With information from Agencies
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