Lionel Messi Led Inter Miami Slammed for Painting a ‘Poor Image’ of MLS After 6–0 Hammering at Riyadh Season Cup

“MLS is a stronger League than Saudi’s, let’s be honest”, said French journalist Julien Laurens in December. However, in just over a month, the Riyadh Season Cup has exposed the alarming gap in quality between the two leagues. Inter Miami, armed with Lionel Messi & possibly the best squad in the MLS, lost both its games against Al Hilal & Al Nassr. Following the crushing 6-0 defeat against a Cristiano Ronaldo-less Al Nassr, Beckham‘s side has been criticized for impacting the reputation of the MLS. After all, they are ‘paraded‘ as ‘the league’s team‘.

Inter Miami has been winless in the pre-season for far. As a result, questions are being asked of manager Tata Martino with Xavi being linked as a possible replacement. Unfortunately, it seems the results are not just affecting the Herons, but the perception regarding the MLS too.

Pundit reveals what ‘most disappointed’ him after Lionel Messi & Inter Miami got ‘absolutely pummeled’

Nico Cantor of CBS Morning Footy was unhappy at with Inter Miami’s showing in the Riyadh Season Cup. He said, “I think the image overall that this game gave was just not very, was a poor image of MLS, and it was almost embarrassing to a point, almost. He explained, “Because like Inter Miami is being paraded around the world as Messi’s team, the league’s team and blah blah blah. And they went up against this Al-Nassr team and they got absolutely pummeled. However, per the analyst, there was something even more disappointing on the night.

He added, “

What most disappointed me is that Messi, who was injured, who was not even on the team sheet, had to dress out and obviously my intuition is contractually, Tata Martino had to throw him out there for seven minutes just because they signed some paperwork and Inter Miami got their payday.” It is worth noting that the encounter was billed as the ‘Last Dance’, due to the possibility of it being the final encounter between Messi and Ronaldo.

Interestingly, Al Nassr could have followed the same approach, but they decided to rest Ronaldo. He watched the entire game from the sidelines. Inter Miami’s display would have further convinced CR7 regarding his MLS claim, back in July.

‘I’m 100% sure’, Cristiano Ronaldo always rated the Saudi League over MLS

Back in July, there was mayhem regarding Ronaldo’s comments. He claimed, “Saudi League is better than MLS. I’m 100% sure I won’t return to any European club. I opened the way to Saudi league… and now all the players are coming here.” CR7’s comments came just after Lionel Messi had joined the Herons.

Read More: Will Lionel Messi Play Against Hong Kong XI? Tata Martino Provides Injury Update on Inter Miami Star

As per Opta, Al Hilal & Al Nassr are better than any side in the MLS. However, when comparing all the teams together, the MLS outperforms the RSL. All in all, Inter Miami was beaten by the two best teams in Saudi, as per Opta’s rankings. So, in that case, is the Riyadh Season Cup the best possible way to compare the quality of both leagues?

And is Major League Soccer really better than the Saudi League? Have your say in the comments below.

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