Inter Miami manager Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino has confirmed Lionel Messi will play in the season-closing friendly bout against New York City FC this week.
On Friday night (November 10), Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami will take on New York City FC in a friendly arranged to celebrate Messi’s eighth Ballon d’Or win. Ahead of the friendly, which is being dubbed “Noche d’Or”, Messi will showcase the Golden Ball at the DRV PNK Stadium in Miami. MLS commissioner Don Garber and Inter Miami co-owners Jorge Mas and David Beckham are also set to speak to fans during the celebratory event.
Martino Says Lionel Messi Will Definitely Play Against NYCFC
Manager Martino was asked to confirm Messi’s availability for what would be the Herons’ final game of the year. The Argentine tactician responded positively, saying the 36-year-old will certainly feature, as the game would be played in his honor.
Martino said:
“Of course, (Leo) will play because he is the star of this match. We want to be with him to celebrate his Ballon d’Or, but also it is an opportunity to return to competition, even though it’s a friendly, so people can see Leo and his team-mates on the field one more time and bid farewell to this season.”
Messi is the first active MLS player in history to win the Ballon d’Or. The Argentina icon, who won the accolade on the back of a triumphant 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign, propelled Inter Miami to Leagues Cup glory in his debut season. Overall, he played 14 matches after leaving France for the USA, scoring 11 times and providing five assists.
Inter Miami Are Already Hatching Pre-Season Plans
Miami’s match with fellow Eastern Conference side NYCFC was only scheduled after their China Tour fell apart due to “commercial and bureaucratic issues.” After the game, Vice City will take a two-month break, with them not kicking off their pre-season campaign until January 10.
As confirmed by Martino, Inter Miami are already lining up matches for their pre-season campaign, with Messi’s boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys getting special consideration.
On Inter Miami’s pre-season plans, Martino added:
“Over the past few days we have been having conversations between the sporting side and the business side about all our needs, obviously with the sporting side as the priority. We have looked at scenarios of having some of the pre-season in Florida, some abroad, but nothing has been confirmed. We want to have a pre-season of approximately 40 days.”
Messi spent five years at Newell’s Old Boys before joining Barcelona’s La Masia academy in 2000. The rest, as they say, is history.
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