"The most decisive player in the world" - Inter Miami star provides honest reponse when asked if team is too dependent on Lionel Messi

Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets has opened up on the team's overreliance on Lionel Messi. The Argentine maestro is one of the greatest players ever to have set foot on a football pitch.

Now in the twilight of his career, La Pulga remains a key figure for the Herons. However, with the team bowing out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, it has been suggested that the club are too reliant on the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Lionel Messi saw his team suffer a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of the semifinals against Vancouver Whitecaps on April 24. The Argentine, however, had a quiet game in the second leg as well, with Inter Miami losing 3-1 on April 30.

Speaking on the matter, Busquets insisted that any team with La Pulga will look to him for inspiration.

“There’s no team with Messi on it that doesn’t depend on him. He’s the most decisive player in the world, the best player, and it’s obvious that we have to rely on him to a great extent—though not 100%,” said Busquets.

He continued:

“The more he’s involved in the game, the more we look for him and the more he can help us, then that will be a good sign.”

Lionel Messi's contract with Inter Miami expires at the end of this year, but a recent report from The Athletic has suggested that he is close to signing a new deal.

How many goals has Lionel Messi scored for Inter Miami to date?

Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in the summer of 2023 following the expiration of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Argentine hit the ground running with the Herons, helping them win the Leagues Cup in his debut campaign.

Interestingly, that was the first trophy in the Florida-based club's history. La Pulga followed that up with a Supporters' Shield win last season, but missed out on the MLS Cup.

Messi has also enjoyed a decent start to the new campaign, although he has missed a few games with injuries. The 37-year-old has registered eight goals and three assists from 13 games across competitions this season.

Inter Miami, interestingly, are undefeated in the eight games that Messi has either scored or assisted in, winning six and drawing two. In the five games where he failed to register a goal contribution, the club have won just once, and lost thrice. La Pulga has 42 goals and 21 assists from 52 games for the Florida-based club.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Aditya Singh