Lionel Messi (36), who caused controversy over a "no-show" recently, has picked up his work again. This time, it is because of dribbling.
Britain's "The Sun" reported on the 22nd that "fans criticized Messi for dribbling at the fallen player as barbarians."
Messi started in the opening game of the first round of the 2024 MLS Eastern Conference against Real Salt Lake at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and played full-time. Thanks to Messi's performance with one assist, Inter Miami won 2-0.
The scene in question happened at the end of the first half. Messi grabbed the ball near arc circles in the 43rd minute of the first half, and did not stop playing even though his opponent was lying down. Messi, who had to dribble in the direction of the fallen player, swung the ball over with a superb chip shot, and then hit the shot. Depending on the angle of the camera, it seemed as if the opponent was in the shot, not the chip shot. However, he did not directly shoot the ball.
After the match, Messi's play became a hot topic of conversation. According to The Sun, fans criticized Messi's dribbling through media outlets, saying he made a rude mistake to his injured opponent.
On the other hand, some critics say that Messi's dribbling and chip shots were technically outstanding. Spain's Mundo Deportivo said that Messi misled fans with his unforgettable dribbling from the opening game. He beat the fallen defender in a fascinating way. USA Today reported that Messi did not intend to stop dribbling for the injured player.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami defeated Real Salt Lake 2-0 in the opening game of the first round of the "2024 MLS Eastern Conference" held at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Miami, which won its first championship of this season, started the new season on a good note.
On the same day, Miami launched the "Barcelona Four-member Connection," drawing attention. Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba were on the starting lineup.
In the 4-3-3 formation, Messi started as a right flanker, and led the Inter Miami attack through full-time play. He not only displayed his flashy dribbling, but also his simple pass that helped his teammates and selfless play. He hit four shots including one assist, and recorded four key passes.
Miami, which led the offense, scored the first goal. At the 39th minute of the first half, Messi drove a forward pass to Robert Taylor, who was playing in the back of the defense. Taylor, who was rushing, scored a non-stop shot with his right foot to send the ball to the net. This was Messi's first help of the season. Taylor became the hero of this season's first MLS goal.
Miami, which finished the first half 1-0 up, suffered from Salt Lake City's offensive in the second half, but scored an additional goal at the end of the second half to secure victory. Messi, who caught the ball near the center line at 38th minute in the second half, dribbled through near the opponent's arc circle and passed it forward to Suarez. Suarez, who focused his defense, gave one touch to Gomes on the right, opening up a chance to shoot. Gomes pushed in with his left foot to shake the net.
Miami ranked 14th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference last season. However, the team displayed outstanding performance in the first game of this season, which was joined by Messi and all four Barcelona players, brightening the team's prospects for this season.
Messi moved to Inter Miami after leaving Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in July last year and joined the MLS. He continued his "God of Football" performance in MLS matches. He played in 14 official matches and scored 11 goals and five assists. He scored 10 goals and one assist in the League Cup, two assists in the U.S. Open Cup, one goal and two assists in the league. Notably, he garnered attack points in nine consecutive games since his debut game, drawing cheers from MLS fans and led the lowest ranking Inter Miami to the North-Central American League Cup championship.
In October last year, Messi won the 2023 Ballon d'Or award, which is given to the player who showed the best performance in the world. As a presenter at the time, Beckham called out Messi, not Erling Holland (Manchester City) or Kylian Mbappe (PSG). As a result of the final ranking, Holland came in second and Mbappe came in third. Last season, Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri, the main players of Manchester City's treble, ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.
Messi thus acquired the Ballon d'Or trophy for the eighth time in his career. Messi won the Ballon d'Or trophy in 2009 for the fourth consecutive year until 2012. Since then, he has been honored in 2015, 2019, 2021 and this year. He has achieved unprecedented achievements in the soccer world. He has widened the gap with his rival Ronaldo. Ronaldo had won the honor five times between 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2017. At the time, Messi said, "I am grateful to the many people who voted for me. Thanks to that, I am able to stand here again. I want to share the honor with my colleagues in Argentina."
Messi's biggest achievement last season was that he led his country Argentina to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Messi started all seven World Cup matches, scoring seven goals and three assists. Notably, he displayed stellar performance by scoring multiple goals in the final against France. Messi lifted the trophy after five attempts at the World Cup. He also won the Golden Ball, which is given to the best player in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Messi recently caused a "no-show" in Hong Kong, drawing complaints from Chinese fans. In a friendly match between Inter Miami and Hong Kong's 11 best teams held at Hong Kong Stadium in Hong Kong on the 4th, Messi was controversial because he did not step on the ground even though he was on the replacement list.
The stadium was filled with some 40,000 Hong Kong fans, wearing sky blue-white striped uniforms representing Argentina and light pink uniforms of Inter Miami. However, as Messi did not appear until the middle of the second half, fans started chanting "Messi, come out." Then, around the 35th minute of the second half, his voice changed to an angry one, shouting "refund, refund." However, Messi sat on the bench watching his fellow players' matches silently, regardless of the booing from the audience. As Messi did not play in the match, fans' anger reached its peak after the match. 토토사이트
China even cancelled all matches for the Argentine national team. A friendly match between the Argentine national team and Nigeria, which was scheduled to be held in Hangzhou on Wednesday, and a friendly match between Argentina and Ivory Coast, which was scheduled to be held in Beijing on Wednesday, were also canceled.