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Inter Miami star Julian Gressel has opened up on gaining Lionel Messi's trust as a teammate and has elaborated on his interactions with the Argentina captain.
During a recent CONCACAF Champions Cup clash against Nashville, Gressel was seen giving a motivating speech to the team. Considering the Herons have superstars like Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez, and Messi in their ranks, that took fans by surprise.
Gressel, though, has now claimed that it was Messi who asked him to do the same. Speaking on the matter, he said on the PLAYER/MANAGER podcast (via GOAL):
"He (Messi) came up to me and said, in English, 'You speak to the team'. I was like Yes, okay, sounds good."
Gressel further added that he also included Spanish language in his speech, making it easier to understand for everyone. He said:
"In the game against Nashville, the second leg, I said something in Spanish. I said, 'Let's win the first five minutes and then we're going to win the game.' Super quick, super simple, and then let's go... And then we scored after seven minutes, not quite five minutes. But I felt pretty good aout my pregame speech."
Gressel then went on to highlight Lionel Messi's leadership qualities and how he has gained the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner's trust, saying:
"It's a cool moment when he comes up to you and asks you to say something to the team. To have the trust from him in me is something that obviously is a great feeling and something that shows me okay I've done the right things over the last few months to earn his trust."
Lionel Messi has been in stellar form for Inter Miami this season
Lionel Messi has endured injury struggles this season, with his current knock not allowing the Argentine from attending international duty. Messi is nursing a muscular problem.
However, when fit, the eight-time Ballon d'Or has been the key difference maker for Inter Miami, scoring five goals and providing two assists in five appearances across competitions.
Inter Miami are currently atop the Eastern Conference of the MLS with 10 points from five matches. They have won three matches, losing one and drawing another.
