Inter Miami suffer first defeat since Messi signing

Inter Miami, on Saturday suffered defeat for the first time since Argentina superstar, Lionel Messi arrived from Paris Saint-Germain.

The Major League Soccer team lost 5-2 to Atlanta United although Messi did not feature in the game as he was left out of the matchday squad.

Tristan Muyumba, Brooks Lennon and a Kamal Miller own goal gave the hosts a comfortable lead in the first half.

Georgios Giakoumakis and Tyler Wolff each scored in the second as Atlanta sealed victory. They now sit sixth in the MLS Eastern Conference after the victory.

Leonardo Campana scored twice for Miami, who saw their 12-game unbeaten streak across all competitions come to an end.

Miami manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino explained that Messi and Jordi Alba missed the game due to “muscular fatigue.”

Meanwhile in another news…

Ex-Manchester City forward, Sergio Aguero claimed Lionel Messi chose to join Inter Miami over moving to Saudi Arabia because of his family’s convenience.

Messi moved to Inter Miami in July 2023 after rejecting a world-record contract from Saudi Arabian club, Al Hilal.

Aguero told Stake that the 36-year-old Argentina captain may have been tired of high-level football and thus decided to join the American club, where he can play and relax.

He said; “I think that at the end of this stage, with the age that Leo [Lionel Messi] and Cristiano are, and many players aged 32 and 33, maybe they are tired of so much demand to be at a high level.

“I think that Leo opted for him and his family to be well and to be able to play as relaxed as possible; and in the other case if he had been playing in Europe, obviously that the requirement is different and so he can’t play his last years the way he wanted, which is to enjoy, right?

“And obviously, I think that between Miami and Arabia, I think he chose Miami for convenience. Miami is a nice place, there are lots of Latinos, and I think he also saw it from the family side, which I think they can fit quite well in Miami, and in Arabia it can be more complicated, right? I think he saw nothing more than that”.