In their third MLS season in club history, Inter Miami are still a work in progress. It didn't take long for the Herons to make a name for themselves in world soccer, becoming a popular club despite its slow start in Major League Soccer.
The team owned by David Beckham may have attracted a lot of interest because of the market they belong to, the city they're based in and the popularity of its owner, but it has yet to live up to the expectations on the pitch. Not even the stellar signings of Gonzalo Higuain or Blaise Matuidi have been enough to take off, as the team continues to leave much to be desired.
However, we're talking about an ambitious project that is just getting started and bigger moves could be waiting for them in the future. Lionel Messi, for instance, has been frequently linked with a potential move to South Florida in the future - something that the Inter Miami squad might be looking forward to.
Inter Miami players reveal who they prefer between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
The club posted an entertaining video on TikTok in which nine of their players were asked who they choose between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Far from being an even poll, most of them have chosen the PSG star.
Seven out of the nine players in question have said to prefer Lionel Messi, while only two went for the Manchester United forward. It's interesting given the rumors that link Messi with a future move to MLS and Inter Miami in particular.
The Argentine star is under contract with Paris Saint-Germain until June 2023 and, even though it looks like he's not going anywhere else before then, it's hard to tell whether he'll continue in France beyond that date.
Inter Miami's hopes of landing Lionel Messi
"I think, and David has a relationship with (Messi), if he does leave PSG, at the time he leaves it, we’d love to see Lionel Messi be a player at Inter Miami and be part of our community," Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas said earlier this year. "Can it happen? Look, we’ll push. I’m an optimist at heart. Could I see that happening? It’s a possibility."
By the time his current contract with PSG expires, Messi will be 36 years old. Only time will tell whether his play suffers a decline at that point of his career, but he could still have a lot to offer by then. However, MLS commissioner Don Garber has previously warned that the league doesn't expect players to take it as a 'retirement league.'
“We want our story to be about young players who are coming here at the earliest stages in their career or in their prime of their careers, and making our league their league of choice," Garber said. "And you’ve seen a dramatic shift from where we were to where we are today.
“When we look at bringing players at 30 and younger than that, I’m proud of that. As it relates to when they get older, if that makes sense, that’s great. If they’re not here to come and play and be a great contributor to their club and to our league and to respect the league and its fans, then we don’t want them in Major League Soccer. So we don’t need to bring in a big-name player at the end of their career because they’ve decided they’d like to retire in MLS.”
