Teammates praise Messi's act of giving up the captain's armband

*Cicinati - Inter Miami: 6 p.m. Thursday, August 24, on MetaSports.

"Messi understands what the team had to go through before he got here," Callender said on August 22, before the semifinals of the US Open Cup 2023. "He knows which players on the team have been leaders and helped the field. teaching the team, like DeAndre Yedlin. Messi giving up the captaincy before lifting the Leagues Cup means a lot to Yedlin. We all see Messi as a great teammate."

Miami didn't win 11 straight games in the MLS, before Messi joined the team. Since then, the 36-year-old superstar has scored in all seven games to keep the team unbeaten and win the 2023 Leagues Cup, also the first title in the team's five-year history.

While waiting to receive the Cup, Messi removed the Miami captain's armband from his arm, then approached and put it on Yedlin. At the award ceremony, Messi also called Yedlin to come together to lift the Cup to the position of his teammates waiting on the winning podium. Yedlin is a 30-year-old right-back, joined Miami in February 2022 and was soon given the captain's armband. But when Messi joined Miami in July 2023, Yedlin had to cede the role of captain to the 36-year-old superstar.

Goalkeeper Callender added that Messi is talented but also humble and respects every member of the team. "Messi thinks that winning the Leagues Cup is the work of the Miami team, so he asked Yedlin to lift the cup," said the 26-year-old goalkeeper.

Miami had to shoot 11 rounds in the final against Nashville, in which Callender kicked in the last leg and then pushed the shot of a colleague. He said that he received no direct advice from Messi, but the captain's optimistic spirit gave him confidence. "I feel trusted by Messi," he insisted.

19-year-old midfielder David Ruiz also talked about the influence of the 2022 World Cup champion on Miami. "Messi taught me to stay on the field more and watch," Ruiz said. "I used to chase the ball all the time, taking advantage of the wall of space. But Messi said to stay calm, keep your position, and the ball will come to your feet at the right time. I followed his advice and felt calmer. ".

Messi scored a masterpiece to open the scoring in the final with a narrow high-angle cut. A video of the audience shot by phone, which has attracted millions of views on Twitter, shows him standing still or walking for about a minute before scoring. Waiting for the right time for Miami to hit the ball, Messi accelerated, making the person holding the phone sometimes not keep up.

Messi continues to be the hope to help Miami win the second cup, when they play the US Open semi-final against Cincinnati at 6 am on 24/8, Hanoi time. If they win, they will reach the final against Houston Dynamo or Real Salt Lake four days later.