From Parisian hate to Miami love — Messi finds himself at home Premium

Lionel Messi left Barcelona in tears in 2021, but found a new home in Miami. After a nightmare in Paris, he was welcomed with open arms and has since led Inter Miami to their first trophy in the inaugural Leagues Cup 2023. Messi has scored 10 goals in seven games and has been embraced by the city's Latino population. His move to the MLS has echoes of Pele's fairytale with the New York Cosmos in 1974, and he hopes to inspire more global stars to take the flight to the USA.

Lionel Messi, a FIFA World Cup and seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, had returned to Paris after steering Argentina to the pinnacle of football after 36 years.

There was a guard of honour from the players and a light-hearted banter with former Barcelona teammate Neymar, but then began the nightmare.

The 36-year-old was booed at every touch of the ball by the Paris Saint-Germain fans — his own club. Thousands jeered at the Argentine, the slurs and abuses getting nastier and louder whenever he went to take corner kicks.

Within a month, Messi had a new jersey, a new team and a stadium full of fans chanting his name as he wove his magic. And on Saturday night, in front of a packed Geodis Park in Nashville, he found the net and led his team to victory in the inaugural edition of the Leagues Cup 2023. Inter Miami pipped Nashville 10-9 in sudden-death.

His teammates tossed Messi in the air as a wave of Miami fans sang his name. He even took out his captain’s armband and gave it to DeAndre Yedlin, who had been the skipper before him. It was truly a grand gesture from the Argentine whose Parisian nightmare had turned into a Miami dream.

“It’s beautiful how the Inter people come to the matches to support us. The stadium is always full when we play at home,” he said.

“We played in Dallas the other day. The people there welcomed and embraced me. I’m grateful and happy for the moment I’m living in and, especially, because I’m enjoying playing. That’s what I liked all my life and to do it this way is satisfying.”