When it was first announced that Lionel Messi was signing for Inter Miami, I was slightly taken aback.
Partly because I always thought the Argentinian would find a way to see out his playing days at Barcelona, but mostly because I thought the US had outgrown the need to sign older stars at the end of their careers.
It’s a tactic they have been using for decades, bringing over the likes of Pele, David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Kaká, Frank Lampard, Gonzalo Higuaín and Wayne Rooney in the hope their reputations would put more soccer bums on seats.
The need to continue signing these almost-past-it players must surely be over, I thought. How wrong was I?
However, soccer in America has come a long way over the last decade or so. As a sport it may still not be up there with basketball, American football and baseball, but its popularity is growing exponentially with every passing season.
And, on that basis, the need to continue signing these almost-past-it players must surely be over, I thought. Sure, Messi is one of the greatest players that ever lived, but at 36 and coming towards the end of his effective playing days, his arrival probably won’t even cause that much of a fuss.
How wrong was I?
When I saw the scenes that greeted his unveiling at Inter Miami, I realised Messi’s pulling power is still alive and kicking. And that feeling was compounded by the news that ticket prices for his American debut were up 500 per cent as everyone wanted to share the moment.
It is now glaringly obvious that America is super excited to have Leo in their midst, maybe because of his reputation, maybe because of his many Ballon D’Or victories, maybe because he recently led his country to World Cup glory. Or maybe, at the most basic level, just because it can be an absolute privilege to watch him play.
Contrary to what I initially thought, getting him to see out his playing days in the US might just be the shrewdest move the country’s football authorities have ever made.
From a personal perspective, and having seen the Messi effect in full force, I am just glad he didn’t end up in Saudi Arabia…
Harry’s Hammer helpline
Harry Maguire’s Manchester United dream is now officially a nightmare.
It’s an incredible fall from grace for a lad who was the world’s most expensive defender when he moved to Old Trafford from Leicester City just a few years ago.
His reasonably solid start to life as a football giant was replaced by a slow personal decline in performances that saw him become everyone’s favourite scapegoat.
In fact, it’s hard to log on to social media without seeing at least one video mocking Maguire and his unfortunate errors. And that will hurt a lad who may not be the most gifted player on the planet but who is one of the most genuine.
At this moment, his pride will probably be telling him to stick it out at United and fight for his place in the team. But his head should be telling him get the heck out of there as quickly as possible to get his career back on track. He needs to make that happen now if he is going to tie down a place in the England team for next summer’s European Championships.
Rumours are West Ham United are interested in offering him a way out, and if that is the case, Maguire should jump at the chance.
Without being offensive to either party, as someone who has watched Maguire from his early years at Sheffield United, I would say West Ham are probably more his true level. And I would also suggest that David Moyes is much more likely to have the time and inclination to fix this broken defender than his Manchester United counterpart.
It’s a move that will make sense all round. I only hope Maguire’s pride doesn’t get in the way of it…
Innocent is innocent
I stumbled across a tweet last week that criticised French Ligue 1 club Lorient for signing Benjamin Mendy.
“Buying a player who was accused of rape sends out the wrong signals. Lorient should be ashamed of themselves for giving Mendy a two-year contract.”
Excuse me? I beg your pardon?
For starters, Lorient didn’t buy Mendy, he was a free agent, having been released by Manchester City at the end of his contract. And that shows that the tweeter knows little about football.
More importantly, however, is that this person also seems to know little about the law, because Mendy was found not guilty of every single charge he faced. And that makes him an innocent man.
Some of the details that came out in the trials he endured were deeply unsavoury and didn’t paint the French international defender in a very flattering light in terms of his sexual shenanigans.
But being a sex addict that is looking to sleep with anyone and everyone is not a crime – as long as it is consensual. Which is precisely what the juries in Mendy’s case decided it was.
The player has had his career wrecked, life put on hold and reputation destroyed after being wrongly accused of committing a crime.
To then suggest he shouldn’t be allowed to try and resurrect that career is, frankly, disgusting.
Your say
A thought from Orazio Cachia on England’s Under-21 victory…
“It was a memorable win for England; it was an occasion that is very rarely experienced for us England supporters.
“But, were it not for VAR, the result could have been different. History would have repeated itself. (A last-minute penalty save is part of the game. Scoring from an offside position is not.)
“I read your column regularly. But your position on VAR still bewilders me.” Orazio Cachia, e-mail.
