The presence of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami made a number of his opponents look scared so that the team defended by La Pulga – nicknamed Messi – was able to win several times. Seeing this, former United States footballer Taylor Twellman sees Messi as similar to the legend of the National Football League (NFL), Tom Brady.
Twellman said that not without reason. Because according to him, Messi has the ability that Brady has, namely to make his opponent afraid.
Take, for example, Messi’s last game with Inter Miami. The former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player has just brought Inter Miami to the quarter-finals of the 2023 League Cup.
The 36-year-old player managed to score a pair of goals when Inter Miami held FC Dallas 4-4 and finally won on penalties with a score (5-3) on Monday (7/8/2023). Even though he only scored two goals, Messi was actually involved in the process of four goals created for The Herons -Inter Miami’s nickname.
One of them was an unexpected own goal from FC Dallas defender Marco Farfan. At that time, Messi, who took a free kick, was suddenly struck by Farfan who scored a goal into his own net.
Seeing this moment, Twellman said as if he couldn’t believe what he had seen. Twellman considered that this happened because the opponent was frightened by Messi’s presence.
“Having an opponent score an own goal like Marco Farfan. I don’t know what I saw, and they blow you away,” said Twellman, quoted from Goal International, Monday (7/8/2023).
Yes, Twellman concluded that the influence exerted by Messi makes it difficult for opponents to control themselves and fear. According to the football commentator, this is similar to the impact that Brady has on his opponent. “It’s very similar in other sports: when the great ones come in, they force you to do things that are out of your control.
You feel uncomfortable doing it, “continued Twellman. “The New England Patriots (NFL club) do this all the time. People would see ghosts when (Bill) Belichick and Brady showed up. In four games (Messi played), every time the opposing player will see a ghost because Messi is on the other side,” he added.
So far, Messi has recorded seven goals and one assist in four matches with Inter Miami. Henceforth, The Herons will face the winner of the Charlotte versus Houston match in the 2023 League Cup quarter-finals.
