"It was a cool moment to see him so humble" - Inter Miami star recalls Lionel Messi's reaction after he set MLS record in New York Red Bulls win
Inter Miami defender Julian Gressel talks about Lionel Messi's reaction after the Argentine icon made two new Major League Soccer records in the Herons' clash against New York Red Bulls at Chase Stadium on May 5, 2024. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner became the first player to provide five assists in a single match and have six goal contributions in a single game.
Recalling the time when Gressel went to the locker room after the match and greeted Messi, addressing his newly earned record, the 30-year-old full-back mentioned that the Barcelona legend was humble in his reaction. Julian Gressel told the Player/Manager podcast:
"Out of habit, I go around the locker room after a game and dab everyone up with a high-five or a hug. I get to Leo and I gave him a high-five and I was like ‘five assists today?’ and he was like ‘yeah,’ all shy and looking down, but smiling shyly, it was a cool moment to see him so humble and to look almost embarrassed."
Inter Miami opened the scoring just three minutes into the second half with Matias Rojas' goal from an assist by the Argentine icon. In the 50th minute, Lionel Messi netted a goal followed by assisting Rojas' second goal of the match in the 62nd minute.
Luis Suárez then went on a scoring spree and netted a hat-trick in which all three goals were assisted by his former Barcelona teammate. The Uruguayan striker scored his first goal of the match in the 68th minute followed by another in the 75th minute and the last in the 81st minute.
Inter Miami president refers to Lionel Messi as the "perfect player"
Inter Miami president David Beckham spoke about Lionel Messi and his impact on the next generation in a late-night talk show with Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday, May 8. Beckham said via Daily Mail:
"It's just that effect that Leo has on the game and the world. One of the reasons we wanted to bring him to America was to inspire the next generation. That was my plan."
The former Real Madrid referred to Lionel Messi as the 'perfect player' and said:
"I think everyone's got their own opinions, there's a lot of great players to have played the game over the years. But in my opinion, he's the perfect player"
"I could actually come at at him with my experience of moving to America and coming to a league that wasn't as established like it is now. There was only 13 teams in the league, now there's almost 30. It's in a different position than what it is when I first came," added Beckham.
Inter Miami is currently on top of the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer with 24 points in 12 matches. They face Montréal next in the league on May 12, 2024.