Lionel Messi and Josef Martinez’s partnership in Inter Miami is just getting started but the Venezuela international has admitted that he got mad with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner on his debut as he didn’t pass to him.
Messi, 36, made his debut for Inter Miami on Friday in the Leagues Cup against Cruz Azul, entering the playing field alongside former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets in the 54th minute. It took some Messi magic in added time to secure a group stage win for Inter Miami, with the World Cup-winning Argentine netting a show-stopping free-kick, sending Miami into pandemonium.
On several occasions, Messi and Martinez found each other, and in other instances, they missed the trick to unlock Cruz Azul’s defence. “I get mad with (Messi) because he never gave me the ball,” Martinez joked on Apple TV after the game.
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Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham, who was nearly moved to tears by Messi’s impact, will be hoping that MLS’ latest star can combine with Martinez to rescue the Sunshine State-based franchise’s season.
One-time MLS MVP Martinez hasn’t been able to help Inter Miami climb off the bottom of the Eastern Conference and the team are without a league win in their last 11 games. Inter Miami are 12 points off a playoff spot and will need to stage an almighty comeback to reach the postseason, with 12 games and 36 points left up for grabs.
But if history has taught anything: Don’t doubt Messi. “What I saw was the goal. I saw the goal, I knew I had to score. It was the last play of the game, and I wanted to score so we didn’t go to penalties,” Messi said after his debut. “It was very important for us to get this win because in the tournament it’s going to give us confidence moving forward.”
Beckham gushed: “It’s terrible watching these games. As an ex-player, you get frustrated. As a player, you can do something about it if you’re losing, when you’re an owner, you can’t. But tonight is about the people. It’s about this. This is what we always saw as our vision, me and Jorge and Jose and the club, this is what we saw.
“So this is such a special night for us, for our families, for everyone that’s in this stadium, for you guys. It is such a moment for this country. It’s such a moment for this league. And it’s a very proud moment for us.”
Messi and Martinez will be handed another Leagues Cup group stage match to work on their on-pitch connection ahead of the MLS’ restart. They take on Atlanta United on Tuesday, July 25.
