“I Felt Stupid” – After Injury Forced Pre-Season Exile, Inter Miami Star Narrates First Encounter With Lionel Messi

There are many soccer greats, but only a few of them possess a mythical allure. Lionel Messi is one such player with a surreal stature. Therefore, breaking the ice with Messi and playing alongside him can be a nervous experience for players who have not crossed paths with him before. Nicolas Freire, who joined Inter Miami on loan from Liga MX’s UNAM Pumas, has now recalled having a ‘head swelling‘ moment while meeting Messi for the first time at camp.

Freire, like Leo Messi, also hails from Argentina. He plays as a center-back and joined Miami in a move that could amp up their defensive core. Per the defender’s recent admission, he had gotten unnecessarily nervous while meeting with La Pulga.

Freire unveils the moment when his nervousness caused Lionel Messi to ask him if ‘everything was okay’

Nicolas Freire has shed light on his first meeting with Lionel Messi in a conversation with Deporte Total USA. “The truth was the first contact was, sorry for the word, I felt stupid, because I’d arrived, as I told you, I couldn’t train, I had to get checked,” said Nicolas Freire. He then recalled what were Messi’s first words to him.

“I was there having a snack. Suddenly, like I was looking for a fork. What do I know? I turn around. Later, I realized my head swelled as if I had prepared a speech. I turned around and found him[Messi] in front of me. Then I didn’t know what to say. He said, ‘Hello is everything okay?’ I think it must break his b**ls that we see him as what he is for all mortals,” added Freire. Similar to this situation, Lionel Messi has time and again rendered his teammates in disbelief with his simplicity.

Inter Miami’s Nicolas Stefanelli once said that Messi is just another teammate who loves to have fun with his peers. Back to Nicolas Freire, he might have had the chance to develop a close bond with Messi off the pitch. But he is yet to share playing time with the Argentine because of an injury.

Injury rocks Nicolas Freire’s Inter Miami run

Freire contracted a muscle injury in October last year, during his Pumas days. He joined Inter Miami last month. But missed all seven pre-friendly matches with the club because of the injury woe. Moreover, the Herons camp is yet to learn when the center-back can return to action. Once he is back, he could surely galvanize Miami’s defense, which is otherwise struggling.

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Nicolas Freire is a versatile defender who can be deployed as both a center-back and a left-back. Furthermore, he has won domestic titles during his remarkable stints in the Brazilian League and the Ecuadorian League. Hence, while Messi and Luis Suarez take care of the job in the frontline, Freire would safely oversee the Herons’ defensive third.

What are your thoughts on his first meeting with Messi? Tell us in the comments.

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