Lionel Messi: Inter Miami terminated the contract with their goalkeeper Nick Marsman. This comes only weeks after the 32-year-old Dutch made a comment about Lionel Messi’s possible transfer to Miami back in June. He questioned if Miami was ready for a player of Messi’s calibre to come and play for them. His doubts seemed valid at the time. However, it seems that his fears did not come true, even though there have been fans flooding the matches with sold-out tickets game after game.
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Inter Miami have terminated their contract with their second goalkeeper Nick Marsman. While it can be considered as just another incident, this comes only weeks after the Dutchman questioned Miami’s capabilities of accommodating a player such as Lionel Messi’s calibre. He said, “I personally think that this club is not ready for Messi’s arrival. We have a temporary stadium, people can just walk on the pitch, there are no gates. We also leave for the stadium without security. I think they aren’t ready. But I hope he comes.”
Inter Miami was only established in 2018 and considering their situation, Marsman’s doubts were valid. Miami currently play at the DRV PNK Stadium which is their temporary home ground. The stadium holds 18000 people and the security was light. Miami are planning to open a permanent ground which is the Miami Freedom Park. It is set to open in 2025 and will be able to hold 25000 people. However, there are still 2 years to go and the security concerns remain for the matches Messi would play.
From the unveiling event of Messi to the four matches he has played for Inter Miami, tickets to the stadiums have been sold out. Fans have flooded the stadiums at every match. Yet, Miami have been able to provide good enough security for every match. It is a good thing that the 32-year-old goalkeeper’s fears did not come true. However, his doubts were logical considering what the club’s situation was prior to Messi’s arrival. In the same way, his doubts might not have been the reason for the termination of his contract.
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However, the timing does bring up questions in one’s mind. The player joined the club midway through the season back in 2021. Since then, he has appeared in a total of 29 games. He started in a few games in the beginning but was frequently benched after Drake Callender joined back in August 2021. Since then, Callender has played as Miami’s first-choice goalkeeper. Whereas, Marsman has been biding his time as the second fiddle. After spending 2 seasons at the club, Miami terminated his contract.
As per the MLS regulations, a team is only allowed to carry out this operation only once during the season. Miami decided to terminate their contract with Marsman for their one opportunity this season. Additionally, Lionel Messi has been thriving for the MLS side since his debut in the Leagues Cup. The Argentine has appeared in 4 matches for Miami and has already scored 7 goals. With that, he is now in their all-time top 5 goalscorers. He has also been named the captain and has led Miami to the Leagues Cup quarter-finals.
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