Messi’s terrible charisma

Lionel Messi’s influence has never diminished. Wherever he goes, it’s as fun as going to a festival.

Perhaps it has been a long time since El Salvador football fans have enjoyed such a wonderful atmosphere. That’s not because this country’s national team just won a major title or had any glorious victory, but because Messi and his Inter Miami teammates came here to play a friendly match.

Messi is a magnet that attracts audiences

To get a seat at Cusatlan Stadium for the match, which starts at 8 a.m. on January 20, fans will have to pay between $200 and $475 . Actual ticket prices may be inflated through third-party vendors. That doesn’t matter, Cusatlan Stadium is packed when the ball rolls.

Before that, from the moment Messi and his teammates boarded the flight to El Salvador, fans lined up outside hoping to see the Argentine superstar with their own eyes. When the bus carrying the Inter Miami team rolled, they tried to chase after it, hoping to take a picture of their idol.

Messi is not young anymore, he is 36 years old. But for El Salvador fans, they are interested in the football Leo performs on the field. It is the dance of a star with genius qualities. A player who is different from the rest. The person dancing with the ball with legs that seem ageless.

As the bus carrying Messi and his teammates left the airport, fans chanted “Muchachos,” referring to the young man. Was there an overstatement here? But figuratively speaking, Messi’s football is simply timeless. It remains as brilliant as the young man’s desire.

Messi always receives attention from fans.

On the day of the match, a large number of fans lined up along the path leading to the field. They were there many hours before the ball kicked off. Among the fans, there is a 91-year-old person from San Vicente. After Pele and Diego Maradona, he had the opportunity to directly watch Messi, the owner of 8 Golden Balls.

According to CBS News , Messi was initially thought to be unable to play in the friendly between Inter Miami and El Salvador. The former Barca star suffered an injury in September. This raised concerns that he would not recover in time to play. Fortunately, that did not happen.

Messi is still too good

When Inter Miami announced the starting lineup to face El Salvador, Messi started. Not only that, Luis Suarez – Leo’s close friend – also stands side by side in attack. They are close friends since their time playing for Barca. At the end of last year, Suarez joined Inter Miami on a free transfer.

Not only Suarez, midfielder Sergio Busquets and left-back Jordi Alba also started. Inter Miami suddenly turned into a “miniature Barca”. The clock struck 8am on January 20, the friendly match between Inter Miami and El Salvador began. Every time Messi touched the ball, excited cheers rang out.

Leo is still the same, playing football like an artist. The way he dribbles, dribbles and handles the ball in tight spaces has never lost its quality. In one situation, he danced in front of 4 El Salvador players rushing to get the ball. As a result, Messi won and only lost when the 5th player rushed to support.

Inter Miami now have Messi, Suarez, Busquets and Alba.

In the 35th minute, the quartet who once dominated Barca’s colors, including Alba, Suarez, Messi and Busquets, had a beautiful combination. Alba crossed the ball from the left wing into the penalty area, Suarez passed the ball back to Busquets – who was standing directly outside the penalty area. The Spanish midfielder passed the ball one touch to Messi and then ran up. Immediately, Leo also made a one-touch pass to Busquets.

Initially, this ball missed Busquets’ momentum. However, the former Barca star still tried to catch the ball to turn it into an assist for Messi. Leo immediately jumped in and finished. From Alba’s pass, everything happened in 8 seconds. But those were eight seconds of elite football created by the world’s best players.

The El Salvador goalkeeper was focused on this play, so he blocked Messi’s shot. The Cusatlan stadium exploded with emotion, even though it was not a goal. Everyone applauded the combination created by the former Barca quartet of Alba, Suarez, Busquets and Messi.

After the break between the two halves, the stars Messi, Suarez, Alba and Busquets were withdrawn from the field. Coach Gerardo Daniel Martino of Inter Miami wants to protect the legs of his healthy students. He doesn’t want anything to happen to them, especially when this is the first friendly match with Inter Miami before the new season. The encounter between El Salvador and Inter Miami also ended with a 0-0 draw.

Seeing Messi play for 45 minutes certainly did not satisfy El Salvador fans. They wanted to see more from the 2022 World Cup champion. However, for many, that was more than enough. They understood that as long as they could see Leo play, it would be an honor, a blessing.