According to Julian Gressel, Lionel Messi urged the midfield player to lead the Inter Miami huddle before and after the game.
Alongside Luis Suarez, the USMNT star was signed by Tata Martino in the off-season and has since emerged as a vital player for the Herons.
Gressel, an MLS veteran and one of the most experienced players in the division, has had a successful season working with Martino, especially with new recruits adjusting to Inter Miami.
Lionel Messi told Julian Gressel to deliver Inter Miami huddles
Speaking on the Player/Manager podcast, Gressel stated that Messi has asked the versatile midfielder to deliver the pre-game huddle in both Spanish and English, following DeAndre Yedlin’s departure.
Gressel stated: “When Yedlin left, we talked about how he would always speak in the team huddle before the game, so Leo actually asked me to speak in the team huddle, which is obviously a huge honor for me. He [Leo] came up to me and said, in English, ‘You speak to the team.’ I was like yes, okay, sounds good.
“Then obviously you’re like ‘What are you going to say to these guys?’ In the second leg against Nashville, I said something in Spanish. I said, ‘Let’s win the first five minutes and then we’ll win the game.’ Super quick. Super simple. And then we scored after seven minutes, not quite five minutes, but I felt pretty good about my pregame speech.
“It’s a cool moment when he comes up to you and asks you to say something to the team. To have that trust in me is something that is a great feeling and something that shows me I’ve done the right things over the last few months to to earn his trust and then to pay it back with a little bit of Spanish, he [Leo] thought it was funny and he laughed a little bit.”
Lionel Messi is fully invested with new MLS club
Messi’s contentment at Inter Miami has been a hot topic since the Argentine superstar went to MLS last year, with the forward adjusting rapidly to life in Florida.
And the forward’s activities on and off the pitch portray an image of a player who is completely immersed in his new team’s culture and surroundings, with Messi appearing to get along with his new teammates.
Entrusting Gressel to head the Inter Miami huddle demonstrates Messi’s desire for his teammates to set a good example, and the USA international has performed admirably since relocating to Florida this winter.
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