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Throughout his professional career, Lionel Messi has defied normalcy in football, and he came close to adding another feather to his cap. The Inter Miami captain came within a whisker of scoring the first-ever Olimpico goal of his illustrious career in the friendly defeat to FC Dallas on January 22.
Inter Miami are stepping up preparations for the 2024 MLS season with the reigning Ballon d'Or and FIFA The Best holder Messi. They played out a drab draw with the El Salvador national team in San Salvador days ago, before returning to face FC Dallas in the USA.
Gerardo Martino named his heavy hitters in the starting XI - Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets. The fans in attendance at the Cotton Bowl Stadium were, however, shocked, as Jesus Ferreira opened the scoring for FC Dallas after just three minutes.
In search of a response, Messi attempted to do something he has never successfully done in his career. The 36-year-old attempted to score an Olimpico goal directly from a corner kick minutes after conceding. But Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes was alert to prevent the ball from going in.
Lionel Messi has seen his former teammate Angel Di Maria successfully score multiple corner kicks. He most recently did it for Benfica in the UEFA Champions League this season. Messi's current club president, David Beckham, also managed to score one in his playing days with LA Galaxy in the MLS.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami didn't find an equaliser as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of their fellow MLS side. The Herons have now failed to win, or score, in any of their first two pre-season matches.
Inter Miami managing Lionel Messi minutes in pre-season
Inter Miami boss Martino hinted before the start of their tour that he would manage the minutes of his side's stars during the tour. Captain Lionel Messi was the main person the manager referred to when he made those comments, after his injury struggles last season.
In the first match against El Salvador, Messi and the rest of his former Barcelona teammates played only the first half of the encounter. In the game against FC Dallas, too, he played just 64 minutes as his side bowed to defeat.
With five pre-season matches still to come, Inter Miami will be keen to manage the fitness of their captain ahead of the season. The MLS side have already lost Facundo Farias, who ruptured his ACL against El Salvador, for the entire season.
