Revealed: How Messi Is Protected at Inter Miami & Why His Team-Mates Are Learning New Language

Inter Miami midfielder, Edison Azcona has revealed that, in a bid to protect Lionel Messi from injury, the club “don’t let him play” in some training matches.

The MLS team is thrilled to have the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner on board, and he helped them win the Leagues Cup just weeks after he arrived in the country. But he also had an injury that kept him out of the U.S. Open Cup championship game and a late drive for a playoff spot.

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Inter Miami are aware of the need to handle Messi with care, with Azcona telling Infobae of how the all-time great is treated behind the scenes: “Everyone understands that we are not going to try to hurt him. One tries to defend, but they are a little more careful. We don’t let him play in the games we play among ourselves, we defend him, but with caution. Nobody gets into it very hard.”

It is not just in training that Inter Miami stars are changing their ways for Messi, with Dominican Republic international Azcona revealing that a number of players are learning a new language. He added: “I have not heard Leo speak English… Sometimes, he has said ‘good morning’ when he comes in, but those who speak English and do not know Spanish are learning to speak Spanish.”

Messi has scored 11 goals in 14 games for Inter Miami, and despite rumours that he may return to Barcelona, he won’t be going out on loan in January in order to stay in top form for the start of the 2024 Major League Soccer season.