Inter Miami copy Barcelona with 'Lionel Messi rule'

Cameron Smith

23 Oct 2023 18:12 BST
3 min read

Lionel Messi, Inter Miami, Barcelona — © ProShots

Inter Miami midfielder Edison Azcona has admitted they are extremely careful when defending Lionel Messi in training to ensure they do not injure the Barcelona legend.

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This ‘rule’ was also in effect during Messi’s time at Camp Nou, with his availability unsurprisingly regarded as a high priority.

As a result, his Barcelona team-mates were told to ensure they took good care when attempting to tackle Messi. This was revealed by former Barca defender Jean-Clair Todibo, who currently plays for OGC Nice and is being tracked by Manchester United.

The Frenchman told Bild in 2020, as per Marca: “We all knew that he [Messi] couldn't get injured. Messi was defended very carefully in training. I learned a lot from Messi and I even tackled him a few times, but I was careful not to hurt him.”

This ‘rule’ has now been implemented at Inter Miami, with the MLS side aware they are a significantly weaker team without Messi in the starting XI.

The aforementioned Azcona told Infobae: “Everyone understands that we are not going to try to hurt [Messi]. 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.”

Lionel Messi at Inter Miami

After joining the David Beckham-owned team from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, Messi immediately won Inter Miami their first ever trophy in the form of the Leagues Cup.

The 2022 World Cup winner netted 10 goals and provided one assist in just seven games as Inter Miami emerged victorious in the competition.

He has only scored one goal in six MLS appearances, however, with a muscle injury keeping Messi sidelined in recent weeks. He played 90 minutes in Inter Miami’s final game of 2023 - a 1-0 defeat against Charlotte - on Sunday.