The reasons behind Lionel Messi’s move to the MLS
Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas was given a night to remember when he got to hang out with not one, but all-time sporting greats. The American billionaire could be forgiven for being in a particularly good mood right now after his club’s marquee signing Lionel Messi has single-handedly transformed the fortunes of the Florida club in less than a month.
Without a win in 11 matches prior to his arrival, Messi has already scored 10 goals in eight appearances, guided his new team to their first-ever trophy success and this week helped reach another final following a semi-final penalty shoot-out victory against table-topping Cincinnati.
It’s little wonder that Mas, who shares ownership of the club with his brother Jose and minority stakeholder David Beckham, was keen to thank the legendary Argentina captain for his efforts since arriving Stateside.
But with the US Open set to get underway in New York next week, another iconic sportsman took advantage of being in America to turn the rendezvous into a star-studded gathering.
Novak Djokovic will be gunning for his fourth US Open title when the serious action gets underway, but the 23-time Grand Slam winner still found time to visit close friend Messi and Mas before he gets down to business.
Even billionaires can get star-struck from time to time and Mas couldn’t resist the temptation to share a photo of himself on X, flanked by Messi and Djokovic alongside a captain that read: “What a night….” followed by two goat emojis, reflecting that his two guests were the greatest of all time in their respective sports.
Djokovic and Messi enjoy a close friendship, with the Serbian in attendance to see Paris Saint-Germain lift the Ligue 1 trophy in June as it coincided with his involvement in the French Open.
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The current world No 2 took the opportunity to meet Messi and Brazilian legend Neymar as the team celebrated. But with Barcelona’s all-time record goalscorer now plying his trade Stateside, the tennis great took the chance to visit his sporting pal on his trip across the Atlantic.
Djokovic is back in the USA for the first time in two years, due to Covid-19 restrictions but has already laid down a marker for the Grand Slam event by winning the Cincinnati Open last week, beating world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
After a sustained run of cup matches, Messi will finally make his MLS debut in the Big Apple on Sunday when the New York Red Bulls host Inter Miami. Whether Djokovic will be in attendance the day before the start of the US Open remains to be seen.
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