Lionel Messi can never remain out of the limelight, even after moving to a non-European league and joining the 1538th-ranked club in the world, Inter Miami CF.
After achieving almost every possible trophy in his career and securing eight Ballon d’Or awards, he has turned to the United States to enjoy life while playing football in a lower-tiered league in Major League Soccer.
However, he still cannot stop producing clutch moments, such as scoring a last-minute free-kick on his debut or providing two late assists for a comeback against FC Cincinnati to win the US Open Cup semi-finals.
Although he hardly speaks the national language, which makes it difficult for him to communicate with his teammates who only speak English, Messi has single-handedly taken Inter Miami to the fourth-place team in the league. They were not even close to appearing in the top half of the table before his arrival.
He seems to be adjusting well to the American lifestyle, as he was pictured learning a new sport in training while Inter Miami prepares for their upcoming game against Nashville.
Instead of training drills, formation tactics, or set pieces, the players were captured playing the infamous American sport, Dodgeball. It’s a sport where you try to throw a ball at your other teammates as hard as you can, while their goal is to avoid getting hit. It’s as American as it gets.
This training exercise is used to enhance the reflex skills of a player, helping them avoid touching a random ball in professional matches to eliminate the chance of conceding a penalty, or even to be more aware and not impede or block the ball when a teammate is taking a shot at the goal.
Messi was captured throwing a football at his teammates while trying to learn the sport, and American fans must be happy to know that he is adapting to a new country and surroundings with ease.
MLS supporters were also seen commenting under the training videos, claiming that he is now officially an American. The training video even shows that the World Cup winner is quite skilled at dodgeball, which made his social media supporters wonder if there is anything this man cannot do.
David Beckham, the owner of Inter Miami, must be happy to see Messi integrating well with his teammates, while also having ex-teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets on the team.
Messi’s enormous fanbase seems to be enjoying watching him live his best life, claiming that soccer is too easy for their idol. They believe it’s time for him to move to a new sport, as after conquering football, being the best dodgeball player of all time should be his next target.
The Argentinian appears to have regained his happiness, much like during his prime days at Barcelona.
The move to Paris Saint-Germain did not work out well, as he couldn’t perform with a dysfunctional team and his own team fans booed him in every match. He himself admits that joining Inter Miami was a good decision after going through a tough time in Paris.