Inter Miami manager Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez has urged fans of Lionel Messi to enjoy witnessing the Argentine in Miami colours for as long as they can. Messi recently played his farewell match for Argentina, assisting twice and scoring once in a 3-0 win over Benin in Buenos Aires.
Messi then rejoined the camp, with the club scheduled to host DC United in a Major League Soccer (MLS) match on Saturday. Messi’s Inter Miami contract runs through the 2028 season.
“[The farewell match] was incredibly intense,” Gonzalez was quoted as saying by ESPN.
“All that mattered was for him to enjoy it. I just told him to enjoy it, to soak up all the love, not just from , but from the whole world. He’ll be missed in that jersey, of course, but today we have him here, and we have to enjoy having him with us now,” he added.
“He’s going to miss it, from the day he retires until the day he’s no longer around. I have no doubt that, for him, the national team was all about wearing that jersey. He’ll always miss the mark he left and the legacy he created there.
But unfortunately, we won’t see him in that jersey anymore, so those of us here have to enjoy it. Now he’s ours, so I have to enjoy it,” Gonzalez, Messi’s former Argentina teammate, added.
Gonzalez termed the 39-year-old as a “born competitor”. “Leo is someone who conveys a certain mindset every day; he demands that his teammates, and all of us, give 100% in every respect,” said Gonzalez.
In the MLS regular season, leads both the goal-scorers and the assists charts, with 24 goals and 13 assists respectively.
“He’s a born competitor. You see it in every training session, and it’s incredible. He’s 39 years old, yet he’s constantly seeking out new challenges. That’s fantastic for everyone, not just his teammates, but the staff and the club as well.
“He pushes you to be better every single day. That’s why he’s such an example. As I said before, he’ll be missed on the national team because he left a legacy there, and he’s leaving a legacy here too, the club changed the day he arrived.
“He drives us to improve daily and to be prepared in every way. And he’s happy, I see him enjoying himself, and that makes me very happy, too,” explained the 52-year-old.
Messi ended his Argentina career with 126 goals in 208 appearances. He won two Copa America titles and one FIFA World Cup title with the Albiceleste.
