Why Did Lionel Messi Choose to Risk Injury Against New England Unlike Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic?

Lionel Messi was the headline maker as Inter Miami thrashed the New England Revolution 4-1. The Argentine maestro scored 2 and assisted 1 and went on to pick up the player of matchday 11 award. However, little did people know that the 8-time Ballon d’Or winner had to risk his physical health to play the match. The match at Gillette stadium had an artificial turf and many superstars in the past had voiced their displeasure regarding the same. But why didn’t a player as massive as Messi opt for the same? A pundit gives us his view.

Herculez Gomez of the ESPN FC show said that he was ‘surprised‘ to see Lionel Messi start. He did add, “But then I guess when you consider there’s no more Champions Cup,  League’s Cup still away is away and the fact that there’s 65,000 there to see him.” He further said that neither Zlatan Ibrahimović nor Thierry Henry could pull such numbers. It is worth noting that the legendary strikers avoided playing on turf pitches during their MLS stints.

Fellow pundit Sebastian Salazar gave his thoughts on the story. Salazar said, “The responsibility that he feels that he holds to the people who purchase a ticket and come out and see him and I’m talking about lots of people. ” The Gillette Stadium saw a record-breaking attendance for the Inter Miami game. Moreover, the crowd preferred to cheer Lionel Messi instead of their team!

Also, Salazar added that the World Cup winner claimed to have no problems with turf while signing with Herons. But what exactly did Lionel Messi say nearly one year back?

Lionel Messi put to rest concerns about playing on turf a long time ago

When Lionel Messi signed for Inter Miami, pundits were concerned about his acceptance of playing on artificial turfs. However, in an interview, La Pulga stated that he was no stranger to playing on turfs. The playmaker said, “The truth is my youth was spent on artificial turf, my whole life was on that pitch. Truth is it’s been a while since I’ve played on artificial turf, but I have no problem adapting myself again.”

The match against the New England Revolution showed that Lionel Messi had no problems with ‘adapting‘. Notably, this was not Messi’s first game on artificial turf for the Herons. Last year, the Inter Miami Charlotte FC tie also had a turf pitch. However, with the Argentine having his fair share of injury issues this season, will the Herons be comfortable in starting him for another turf match? It is something to keep an eye on.