He did not sit out a recent 13-hour round trip to Vancouver through choice, as he was omitted from Inter Miami’s travelling party, and former MLS boss Thomas Rongen is delighted to see Messi steering clear of the complaints that other prominent figures have made. He has told Inside Inter Miami: “Anywhere he goes, he’s driven, he has a mental strength after playing at the highest level for many, many years. It should be exhausting, I remember Gerd Muller was pretty much done when he hit 35. But stuff like the travel he’s dealt with quite well, it’s always surprised players coming to America, and sometimes it’s an excuse, like Gerrard and Lampard used, ‘oh this country is so big, it’s why I’m not performing well,’ but he never has excuses.”