Lionel Andres Messi has been living in Miami for a few days. But that was enough for him to hate his Orlando City rivals. He has a reason. What matters most is the inner qualities of the 36-year-old footballer. Beneath his unfitting sheepskin for an Argentinian icon, beneath his infuriating humility, his basic rhetoric and his mild-mannered exterior, lies a hyper-competitive beast.
confusion He moved to Miami to enjoy the final years of his career. He admitted it himself. He could have made more petrodollars in Saudi Arabia (ten times, to be exact); it’s clear he still has the fitness to play in a European league for at least another year. But after Qatar won the World Cup, he chose a comfortable, well-known friendly city for himself and his family.Money is hard-earned, isn’t it? last dance Among the highest demands globally. He chose the unprecedented experience of hugging Thiago, Mateo and Ciro immediately after scoring; her three children were inside and within rescue distance of Fort Lauderdale’s tiny pink stadium in Miami Located 50 kilometers north of the city, it can accommodate only 18,000 people.
After two miserable years at Paris Saint-Germain, Messi attempted to detox from drugs in the Florida sun. He is not the first Argentinian to be seduced by the song of the Miami Sirens. Instead, Messi favors the combination that his compatriots in the upper echelons of football have strongly requested.These include postcard-worthy beaches, the VIP islands that make up Miami-Dade County, shops and Shopping Brickell and the scene cool The story takes place in the Wynwood community. Plus, there’s the chance to have a casual dinner with famous friends and acquaintances, such as singer Diego Torres, at Miami Beach’s Café Prima Pasta, a restaurant run by an Argentinian chef.
However, this vital dedication should not be confused with competitive laziness. Messi has never and will never be indifferent to winning or losing. Not even a championship like Major League Soccer (MLS) because it doesn’t live up to its legend. Moreover, it has not reached the current shocking level. Because although Messi’s super-sonic heyday at Camp Nou is long gone, he was the undisputed figure when Inter Milan won the League Cup on August 19. He scored 10 goals in 7 games for the cup. Without his football genius, Inter Milan would have no chance of winning the title. The Rosario-born star arrived at a club at the bottom of the league and had never even won a runners-up medal. A young co-worker at a three-year-old franchise earns slightly more than the average U.S. wage. A standard Wall Street banker earns more than the brothers Jorge Mas Canosa and José Mas Canosa, who own Inter Milan, pay their team’s right back.
Until Messi’s debut, the players had a conspiracy. This tradition does not guarantee them success in sports, but they maintain it because it brings them closer to their most loyal fans. On match days, they walk about 400 meters from the training area to the stadium. Along the way, the public forms a kind of corridor, giving them the feeling of being escorted towards the stadium. For security reasons, this ceremony is no longer possible. Now, the team boards a bus for a 2-minute ride.
In the era before Messi, there was only one journalist miami herald He covered Inter Milan’s training sessions. Michelle Kaufman was recognized by staff and players as she walked freely around the Fort Lauderdale facility. But recently, 199 colleagues joined him, and in order to participate in the 40-minute exercise, he had to pass through metal detectors and have his portfolio checked. Messi ruins the small town atmosphere at the club.
But his anger at Orlando outweighed the football player’s usual greed. This has both historical and cyclical reasons. Inter Miami and Orlando City are classic Florida rivals, and their feud transcends football. Orlando is famous for Children’s World at Disney World. Miami, on the other hand, sees itself as glamorous, progressive, and at odds with the seedy masses created by Mickey Mouse, Pluto the dog, and Donald Duck. A series of celebrities live in or plan to own mansions in Miami, including Shakira, Gloria Stefan, Lenny Kravitz, Shaquille O’Neal, Will Smith, Matt Damon, Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, Britney Spears, Paulina Rubio, Miley Cyrus, Julio Iglesias and Seal West Stallone. And, of course, there’s the Englishman David Beckham, a founding shareholder of Inter Milan and responsible for convincing his friend Messi of the advantages of living in Miami.
Viewed from outside Florida, however, the slight differences between the two cities are completely diluted. Miami, Orlando, and all the cities and counties in the southern states were despised by the political opulence of Washington, D.C., and the financial power of New York. In its nearly 250-year history, Florida has never successfully placed a president in the White House.
But something else happened a few weeks ago. This makes the rivalry between the two teams even more tense. It was the week before the Carabao Cup last-32 match between Orlando and Inter Milan. A majestic mural welcoming Messi in the Wynwood neighborhood was vandalized in the early hours.Author of Street Works, the Faces of which confusion Appear in Skyline is a famous artist in this city. I’m Chris Moramarco from Rosario, a Messi fan who moved to Miami in 1991. Moramaco is part of a group of Inter fans who call themselves Vice City 1896, the year the American city was founded.
The invaders desecrated the murals and violated the honor of the Maya. They used purple paint, Orlando City’s representative color. Just in case those responsible had any doubts, they added a boastful message: “FL is purple“, they signed. The next day, Moramaco and 40 other Inter fans were back to work in record time.
“The way we respond to the attack is to unite and become stronger. We want to play against Orlando. We would love to see Messi against them.” declared the artist Mora Marco, who secretly seeks revenge. The artist’s wish came true. Orlando passed this round, and a few days later the so-called “Sun Derby” was held.
The Miami Herons play at home. The Pink Stadium is filled with unusual electricity for a football match. football In the U.S. Fans, players, technical directors and referees all feel it. Orlando set Messi’s strict personal record.captain team Rose was met with kicks, elbows, and secret but guessable adjectives uttered while covering his mouth. Messi discussed face to face with his opponents and made an unprecedented reaction. He hit Peruvian midfielder Wilder Cartagena from behind.this vendetta This earned him a well-deserved yellow card, the first and only yellow card he had received since arriving in Miami. In tribute to Michael Jordan, this became the individual player of the Argentinian XI before he scored twice to help Orlando beat Orlando 3-1. Mora Marco and his colleagues at the Sin City bar were ecstatic.they shouted ring he beat There were “a lot of people” in the stands at the Pink Stadium.
This mural, created and recreated, is one of many now appearing on Miami-Dade streets. It is the largest county in Florida. Approximately 3 million people live there, spread over 34 cities. In this universe, 70% of the inhabitants are Latino. You can see Cubans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Haitians, Argentines, Ecuadorians, Nicaraguans, Hondurans, Paraguayans, Salvadorans, and Mexicans, all wrapped up in some sort of dispersed identity. Or two, actually. Speaking Spanish, familiar with the sport Messi has dominated for nearly two decades.
On an escalator on a tree-lined street in the town of Coral Gables Shopping Iconic Brickell, traditional Versailles restaurants and bars in Little Havana under the glass skyscrapers of downtown hipster The kids from Coconut Grove are united by a bond. Much love for the Argentinian Ten. They express their admiration through T-shirts provided by their parents, who recognize this imagined connection and worship this uncontroversial idol. Inter Milan’s bubblegum pink T-shirt, with the five-letter magic word printed on the back and three German stripes on the side, is the best-selling 24-hour shirt in the history of all sports. Messi surpasses Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady and LeBron James in this regard.
Subscriptions to watch MLS matches on Apple TV have doubled since Messi moved to the United States. If brands can get the maximum possible profit from their operations, politicians tell themselves, they won’t be far behind. The mayor of Miami is the most confident person to jump on the bandwagon.Francis Suarez Front row raffle tickets Watch Messi’s Inter Milan debut. In exchange, the Republican leader demanded donations to his presidential campaign.
Wherever he goes, Messi multiplies the value chain. stimulate consumer enthusiasm, bile poisoning, art, greed and adventure. Only in the Wynwood neighborhood is a cycle of five murals celebrating their presence.
One of the most popular in Little Haiti. It is located at the entrance of the Fiorito restaurant, on a three-meter-high brick wall.Barbeque owner Argentinian Maximiliano Álvarez shows his sincere faith Messista. He ordered a close-up of the player to be drawn in 2018. Messi decided to do this long before he established himself in Qatar and eventually left the country. silent A few questioned his talent.
“Many customers think this restaurant is confusion. Or they ask me if I know him. But the truth is that he is not here yet. Of course, I have invited him and I am waiting for him with open arms. The day he did it, I just wanted to say one thing: thank you,” explained the Fiorito boss.
The Little Haiti grid has benefited effortlessly since Messi’s debut against the Blue Cross. By Alvarez’s eye calculations, the store’s sales increased by 20 percent.Because there are many tourists from Miami they google Following the direction of the mural, they met Fiorito. Once there, they treat themselves to steak, choripán, or spicy empanadas.
After reaching meat satiety, visitors achieved their original goal: documenting their vast fortune on Instagram. Which? His vacation coincides happily with a historic moment when football’s center of gravity shifts to Miami.