«I'm at Inter Miami because of Messi», says Casemiro | OneFootball

In his official presentation with Inter Miami, Brazilian midfielder Casemiro lavished 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 said 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 in which Messi did not take part, as he was resting after the World Cup final lost by Argentina to Spain.

“Leo was the best player in the World Cup,” said the Brazilian national team midfielder, who for years was involved in intense on-field battles with the Argentine in 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’s impossible to stop,” he said.

Seated beside him, Jorge Mas celebrated the arrival of another world-renowned star in Miami, one who strengthens the club’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 inquiry focuses on the so-called “discovery rights,” a rule that gives a single team priority in negotiating the signing of a certain high-level international player, to prevent MLS franchises from competing against one another.

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 did absolutely nothing of the sort,” Mas said. “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.