“He is coming over here to do something special” – NBA superstar Jimmy Butler on Lionel Messi's impending MLS move
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler recently spoke about Lionel Messi's move to MLS club Inter Miami.
Messi will join the Miami-based side as a free agent on the expiration of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain on June 20. Speaking about the Argentine superstar's impending arrival, Butler said:
“He’s one of the greatest players to play that beautiful game. I’m so excited for the city of Miami to be able to have a player of that calibre here.
"Now that he’s here, I think all the football/soccer fans from all over the world are going to come here and get an opportunity to watch him compete."
Butler, though, isn't very keen on reaching out to Messi after the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner's transfer to the United States:
“I’m glad he’s here. Will I reach out? Probably not. I know he has probably got a ton of stuff going on anyway. He is coming over here to do something special for this city. I’m happy that he is here, though. I really am. I know we will link whenever he is here.”
Jerome Rothen said Lionel Messi was unwilling to adapt at PSG
Lionel Messi spent two seasons at PSG after his move from Barcelona in the summer of 2021. The Argentine made 75 appearances across competitions for the club, scoring 32 goals and providing 34 assists.
Messi won three trophies with the Parisians, including two Ligue 1 titles. However, his stint was full of controversy, as the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner even left training on one occasion.
Former player Jerome Rothen has said that Messi wanted the club to change their training structure. He said that the Argentine preferred to train in the aternoon rather than in the morning (via RMC Sport):
"He very often wanted to change the pace of training. He did not want to train in the morning. He told the staff on several occasions that training in the morning is not good.
"That you have to train in the afternoon. Fortunately, the staff did not give up. This shows that he wanted to change certain things and that he did not want to adapt."
Fans of the Parisians and pundits were not always happy with how Lionel Messi performed during his stint at the club. Nevertheless, the player will now play for Inter Miami.