'Already incredible' - Lionel Messi's instant impact at Inter Miami impresses Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni

Few questioned that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was capable of making such an impression in the American game, but even by his high standards a remarkable opening to a new chapter in his stunning career has been enjoyed.

Messi already has silverware to his name – with a record-breaking 44th trophy collected in the Leagues Cup – while 11 goals have been recorded through a run of nine successive wins. Scaloni is delighted to see the iconic 36-year-old playing with a smile on his face again after two difficult seasons in France with Paris Saint-Germain.

Scaloni, who led Argentina to World Cup glory at Qatar 2022, has told the AFA’s official media: “Messi is fine, I see him happy, I see him joyful, and that’s a good thing. In the end, what he needs is to be well, to be in a comfortable place, for him and his family to feel happy, and with his team-mates as well. So that’s what is noticeable, happy and enjoying football, which in the end is where he feels happy, inside a pitch. His presence is already incredible and both his team-mates and opponents generate something special. Then, in addition to the game, he will bring to the league and to the whole country something essential, which is that everyone wants to watch him. His presence is already too much and I think he is still more than qualified to keep playing football.”

Messi has also helped Inter Miami to the U.S. Open Cup final and to their first three-point haul in MLS since May 14, with David Beckham and the rest of the club’s board seeing an interest return on a deal that they worked so hard to put in place.