A Transatlantic Soccer Tale: Griezmann’s Fascination with MLS and Messi’s Influence
Table of Contents
As long as Antoine Griezmann is still interested in playing in the Major League Soccer, he will be closely monitoring Lionel Messi’s progress at Inter Miami.
As a longtime admirer of American sports and culture in general, Griezmann has previously stated that he would like to play in the Major League Soccer. Since the last 20 years, there have been a lot of big players moving to the United States, but none have had the influence of Messi, who has already altered the league since his arrival this summer.
Antoine Griezmann on Lionel Messi:
— GOAL (@goal) February 1, 2021
🗣 “We are enjoying Messi, he's a legend.
"Hopefully we can keep enjoying him and he can keep helping us win.” [Movistar] pic.twitter.com/O7LG892z2r
Messi has scored a total of nine goals in six games since joining the bottom-dwelling Inter Miami, helping the team get to the Leagues Cup final. And Griezmann, a former teammate who is currently playing for Atletico Madrid and is considering a potential move to the MLS, is among those in awe of what they are seeing.
Griezmann replied when questioned about Major League Soccer, “Yes, I’ve followed it. Leo Messi is one of the best players in history. All the stadiums fill up when he plays and, since he’s been in the States, he’s winning matches. I think they’re now in a final match against Nashville. He’s an incredible player and I think the best thing that MLS has done is to sign up Leo for advertising and also for the sport’s quality. He can be the image of football in the United States.”
He continued, “Leo Messi is one of the best players in history. All the stadiums fill up when he plays and, since he’s been in the States, he’s winning matches. I think they’re now in a final match against Nashville. He’s an incredible player and I think the best thing that MLS has done is to sign up Leo for advertising and also for the sport’s quality. He can be the image of football in the United States.”
“I think the new signings, the younger players from South America, this will improve the level of the league so I think that’s the best thing they can do: sign up top-quality players so it will make the league bigger and stronger.”
Griezmann has long expressed his desire to play in the Major League Soccer (MLS). He routinely visits the United States to see NBA and NFL games because he is such a huge fan of the two sports. To win his first La Liga championship this year, he still believes he has unfinished business at Atletico Madrid.
He stated, “First of all, I would like to continue to make history here, to win the title here with Atletico. We’ll see obviously the future but for me it’s one of my objectives is to end up playing in MLS.”
This weekend, Griezmann and Atletico Madrid will play their first La Liga game when they travel to take on Real Betis. On Saturday, Griezmann’s former teammate Messi and Inter Miami will go to Nashville SC in an effort to win the Leagues Cup final and bring home the club’s first championship.
