"He brings out the best in each player" - Inter Miami star on experience of playing alongside Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi's Inter Miami teammate Leonardo Campana has hailed his impact on the team in a recent interview. The Herons have established themselves as one of the most exciting sides in the MLS since the legendary Argentine joined the side in the summer of 2023.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has played 2,650 minutes for the Miami-based side, scoring 28 times and providing 17 assists across the 33 games he has featured in. His abilities helped the team to the League Cup last year and sees them currently sit top of the MLS Eastern conference.
Campana hailed the four-time UEFA Champions League winner in a recent interview for his influence on the team, telling Goal via AS:
“Everyone wants to know what he’s like as a person. Since you have him around so much on a daily basis and you see him all the time, you end up assimilating the reality. He’s an incredible person, very calm, very humble. He brings out the best in each player and obviously I would love to be out there on the same pitch as him for as long as I can.”
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will face Columbus Crew in their next fixture in the MLS, with David Beckham's team looking to continue their dominant run in the division. Messi will hope to add to his already stellar return of 17 goals and 12 assists in 19 games this season.
"You can’t do anything else but marvel at him" - Inter Miami star runs out of superlatives for Lionel Messi
Inter Miami's all-time highest goalscorer, Leonardo Campana, ran out of superlatives to describe Lionel Messi in a recent interview. The Ecuadorian joined the MLS franchise six months before the legendary Argentine and has been impressed with the World Cup winner's ability to find the back of the net since linking up at the club.
Campana has been a potent goal threat for the side since he arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2023 for a reported fee of €2.7 million. He has played 96 games, with 31 goals and eight assists to his name.
Campana took time out to Marvel at Messi's abilities in a recent interview with AS, saying via GOAL:
“I have a memory from one of the first training sessions. He finished off an amazing move in training, scores a great goal and we all just stood up and started applauding. That’s what a player like him does to you, you don’t see it anywhere else. He scores great goals every day. People just see this here and say: ‘Wow!’ You can’t do anything else but marvel at him.”
Lionel Messi currently sits three goals behind Campana's total tally for Inter Miami with 28 goals. The legendary forward looks set to overtake his teammate, but it is unlikely that the South Americans will harbor any animosity towards each other. The Herons are inching closer to a marvelous MLS title within their first decade as a franchise.