Lionel Messi is a man — at least publicly — of very few words, so naturally when he talks people tend to listen.
His latest comments on life in the United States have acknowledged a universal truth about Major League Soccer and Inter Miami that he had never said out loud: there is simply less pressure here than anywhere else he has played.
In an interview with Barcelona outlet Sport released this week, a candid Messi made clear that this chapter of his career does not have the type of external “obligation” to win every trophy that defined his years in Europe's top flights.
Lionel Messi: 'I don't think about soccer at home now'
The reality of that statement may be obvious to anyone familiar with the Beautiful Game, but the superstar Argentine had never articulated it so plainly.
“My family and I enjoy the day-to-day in another way because you experience it differently,” Messi said of life in Miami. “It’s more relaxed, without as much pressure, and without the obligation — even though I always want to — to win and achieve every objective.
“Obviously we want to accomplish that, but the pressure is different and that allows you to live more relaxed as well.”
Messi did not stop there. The 38-year-old attacker also explained how that reduced pressure has changed his daily life, particularly his mood.
He acknowledged that poor results often impacted his demeanor away from the field while playing in Europe, but stated that the weight of matches no longer follows him home to his family in Miami.
“I am now able to get home and not think about soccer as much. I think more about other things,” Messi said, who last month signed a new MLS contract through 2028. “Whether you want it to or not, that makes you live in a different way because many times the results and the day-to-day controlled my mood.
"Sometimes I would come home in a bad mood. It was different, but we are good here.”
While the outside level of demand for results may not be the same as it was at FC Barcelona and PSG, Messi has consistently delivered for Inter Miami since arriving stateside in July 2023.
He is on track to win a historic second straight MLS MVP award this season, is in the midst of leading the South Florida side in its playoff run, and has transformed the team into the league's most prominent and ambitious outfit.
Collectively, however, Messi and star-studded Inter Miami have not drowned themselves in silverware.
The team co-owned by David Beckham has won a Leagues Cup and Supporters' Shield, but that has been the extent of the hardware haul in nearly two-and-a-half years. MLS Cup is currently within reach, but there is no guarantee Inter Miami will lift the league's ultimate prize given the inconsistencies shown this campaign.
That limited trophy return may not draw the level of scrutiny and ire that Messi once faced on the Old Continent, but it does underscore how different the demands around him are in a chapter of his career that seems to be as much about quality of life as on-field ambition.
"Here, my family and I are doing well. We enjoy the city and the daily routine," Messi said. "It’s a lifestyle very similar to what we had in Castelldefels, with the club nearby and the kids’ school very close as well. Everything is nearby and comfortable.
"We live away from the city. Honestly, Miami is beautiful, but dealing with the traffic is heavy."
Messi’s recent remarks offer a rare glimpse into his mindset at this late stage in his legendary career. He has effectively said the quiet part about Major League Soccer out loud, acknowledging that the pressure is lighter than what he is accustomed to.
Doing so might invite questions about how hard he is still pushing in an environment that does not require the same level of focus, expectations or intensity, but Messi has repeatedly shown in MLS — at least on the field — how much winning still means to him.
His surroundings might be more forgiving than they once were, but Messi insists that his competitive standards remain at a high level.
"I do not like losing at anything, and every time I step onto a pitch it is to win or at least try," Messi said. "I like to compete, and that was part of the challenge here. I came to a very young club that was still growing, and the goal was to help turn it into a competitive team that could fight for titles.”
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