Days Before Lionel Messi’s MLS Debut, Survey Indicates 66.5% People in Miami Speak Spanish Lightening Concerns Over Soccer Star’s Spoken English Skills

On Sunday, Lionel Messi was officially unveiled as an Inter Miami player. Millions of fans had tuned in for his welcome ceremony. But the Argentine World Cup winner’s choice to speak Spanish while addressing the fans raised a few eyebrows in the US. However, a recent survey proved that the soccer veteran wouldn’t find it difficult to settle in because 66.5% of Miami speaks Spanish.

Along with Messi, even his former FC Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets received his Inter Miami jersey. With a solid personnel addition to the Inter Miami squad, Messi will wear No. 10 and Busquets will wear No. 5.

Lionel Messi to thrive in the US, even after not knowing fluent English!

Soon after Lionel Messi’s welcome ceremony, several news outlets raised the issue of Messi’s ‘spoken English’ skills. The fact that he chose to speak in Spanish during his MLS inauguration didn’t sit right with a few. That’s because he would eventually find it difficult to have daily conversations. But as per the updated numbers by the US Census Bureau, he shouldn’t have a problem.

In Miami-Dade County, Florida 66.5% of people speak Spanish at home. On the other hand, only 24.9% of people speak English at home. The rest of the pie chart includes other Indo-European languages, Asian and Pacific Islander languages, and other languages with 7.1%, 0.9%, and 0.7% shares respectively. Without a doubt, the numbers by the US Census Bureau are telling a whole different story.

Several sources suggest that Lionel Messi does not speak English fluently. While he understands the language, he only knows a few phrases but doesn’t speak it. The World Cup winner is reportedly only fully fluent in Spanish and Catalan. Even during his tenure at Paris Saint-Germain, he only spoke Spanish.

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Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Lionel Messi’s MLS debut after he signed a $55 million deal for two-and-a-half years.

Messi and Busquets to strive for an Inter Miami transformation!

Lionel Messi is far from the first non-native English speaker to enter the American sports universe. Interestingly, the MLS features players from 81 different countries and six continents. Having a personal translator is very common in the US. Messi and Busquets will together bring forward their attacking and defensive prowess. Inter Miami’s current stats for the season aren’t very pleasant.

The former FC Barcelona duo will stabilize the team on both ends of the pitch. Another benefit is the recent appointment of Tata Martino. Martino has previously won the MLS Cup with Atlanta United. Most importantly, he has coached Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets in the past. The most probable date for the soccer veteran’s debut looks like July 21 when Inter Miami face Cruz Azul in the League Cup.

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Do you think that Lionel Messi not speaking English will cause difficulties for him? Let us know in the comments below.