"Messi is ready to cook," "Scoring a hattrick" - Fans react as Lionel Messi captains Inter Miami in Leagues Cup fixture against Orlando
Fans are excited to see Lionel Messi in action as the Argentine icon captains Inter Miami in their Leagues Cup match against Orlando City tonight (August 3).
Messi, 36, has made a scintillating start to life at DRV PNK Stadium, bagging three goals and one assist in his first two games. He has quickly shown why David Beckham and Inter Miami were so intent on securing his signature.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has an opportunity to continue his mesmerizing start to life with the Herons tonight. He lines up in attack for Gerardo Martino's side as they look to keep their winning form going.
Lionel Messi partners Josef Martinez and Robert Taylor. Meanwhile, Martino has also selected the Argentine's longtime teammate Sergio Busquets in midfield alongside Benjamin Cremaschi and Dixon Arroyo.
DeAndre Yedlin, Serhiy Kryvtsov, Kamal Miller, and Noah Allen are in defense while Drake Callender starts in goal. All eyes are on the MLS' new superstar at DRV PNK tonight.
One fan on Twitter is eager to see the iconic No.10 dominate proceedings for the Herons:
"Messi is ready to cook Orlando up."
Another fan is backing Messi to score a hat trick:
"Messi is scoring a hat trick."
Here's how the rest of Twitter reacted after Messi was named as captain for Inter Miami's clash with Orlando:
Gerardo Martino on the impact of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba at Inter Miami
Inter Miami boss Martino insists that players aren't being overshadowed by Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba. The Argentine coach claims that the Herons squad is learning from three of Europe's all-time greats, saying (via GOAL):
"What we have seen so far is that they are growing. They are not overshadowed by the greatness of the three players that we are talking about but instead are focused on being able to learn from everything that they have done in their careers."
The trio have reunited for the first time as a collective since Messi left Barcelona in 2021. They were part of a majorly successful Barca side that won 16 major trophies with the three in the squad.
Their experience is proving to be hugely valuable to Inter Miami. Martino continued to comment on the impact they are having:
"It is not easy for the players that we have here to receive players with so much history, with so many titles, with such good ability, with such a legacy in world football, In that sense, I think we are on the right track."
Lionel Messi and Busquets have already shown why the Herons were so eager to lure them to DRV PNK. The Argentine icon bagged a memorable free kick on his debut in added time while his Spanish teammate has been a constant presence in midfield.