Lionel Messi has made a remarkable impact both on and off the soccer pitch since joining Inter Miami, and he has now been praised for helping his new teammates raise the level of their performances.
ESPN pundit and former footballer Ale Moreno has claimed that one of Messi’s biggest impacts since arriving has been his influence on his teammates, with the likes of Robert Taylor and Josef Martinez improving since he came into the team.
Messi has scored seven goals in his four games so far, but he has also helped his other teammates improve, and results have been much better since he joined.
Speaking on ESPN, Moreno highlighted Messi’s impact on the players who were previously underperforming at Miami.
“Regardless, in terms of Lionel Messi, there is no question and no doubt that he makes Inter Miami better, because he makes everybody else around him better,” Moreno stated.
“You have guys that had had a very sort of quiet, underwhelming season, Robert Taylor for example. He’s assisting goals all of a sudden, he’s scoring goals.
“A guy like Josef Martinez, who you expect to score a bunch of goals for inter Miami, and that hasn’t been the case over the course of the season, he has had injury issues this, this that the other, now he’s scoring goals as well.”
Messi’s mere presence makes an impact
Robert Taylor is the best example of Messi’s influence on the rest of the team. The Finnish winger had scored just twice in 23 matches prior to Messi’s arrival, but he has scored three times in four games with him.
Messi has always had a huge impact on his teammates. In 2013, Messi came off the bench to help Barcelona complete a Champions League comeback against Paris Saint-Germain, where his side were struggling without him.
“Messi is the best player in the world and he changed the game just by being on the pitch,” David Villa stated after the game.
Villa’s words still stand true today, with Miami unbeaten in Messi’s four games, having failed to win prior to his arrival, and with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba also settling well, things are looking good for Inter Miami.