‘I’m at Inter Miami because of Messi’, says Casemiro | OneFootball

At his official presentation with Inter Miami, Brazilian midfielder Casemiro heaped praise this Thursday on Lionel Messi, his fierce rival in the Spanish league and now his captain, even calling him the “god of football.”

“Of course, if I’m here, it’s because of him and to help him and Inter Miami,” the former Real Madrid midfielder said about the Argentine star.

“I want to enjoy being with him, help him win, make him even greater. He is one of the gods, if not the god of football,” the Brazilian summed up at a press conference alongside Inter’s principal owner, Jorge Mas.

Casemiro, who arrives in MLS after a four-year spell at Manchester United, already played his first minutes for Inter on Saturday in a 1-0 win over Montreal, a match Messi did not take part in, as he was resting after the World Cup final lost by Argentina to Spain.

“Leo was the best player at the World Cup,” said the Brazilian national team midfielder, who for years had intense on-field battles with the Argentine in the Spanish league clásicos between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

“I dreamed every day of being with him, of playing alongside him,” recalled the 34-year-old Casemiro.

“I know it’s impossible to stop him. I never managed it, I always needed help from my teammates. And in the two training sessions I’ve had with him, it was already clear that he is impossible to stop,” he said.

Sitting beside him, Jorge Mas welcomed the arrival of another globally renowned star in Miami, strengthening the team’s chances of repeating as MLS champions.

Mas also defended his club’s handling of the Brazilian’s signing, over which MLS opened an investigation for possible “tampering.”

The investigation centers on the so-called “discovery rights,” a rule that gives a single team priority to negotiate the signing of a certain high-level international player, to prevent MLS franchises from competing against each other.

In this case, Casemiro was on LA Galaxy’s list, and Mas said he had contacted them before negotiating with the Brazilian.

“An accusation of tampering was made, when in reality we manipulated absolutely nothing,” Mas said in defense. “We followed the rules to the letter. We did not enter into any negotiations or conversations with Casemiro or his representatives before speaking with the league and with LA Galaxy.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.