"Lionel Messi is the god of football, I came to help him win"
Casemiro was unveiled at Inter Miami and explained why he rejected other offers: "I am here to play with the best of all time." On the meetings against him in Spain: "I never managed to stop him alone."
Casemiro was unveiled tonight (between Thursday and Friday) as an Inter Miami player, and clarified that the opportunity to collaborate with Lionel Messi was the main reason for his decision to move to MLS. The 34-year-old Brazilian midfielder, who joined as a free agent after ending his tenure at Manchester United, signed until the end of the 2027 season, with an option to extend the contract until June 2029.
"For me, without a doubt, I came to play with the best player of all time. I want to enjoy and help him continue to win, because he is a winner. Another player is joining here who wants to win and compete," Casemiro said at the press conference.
The Brazilian said that he had other options after leaving Manchester United, but he preferred the move to Miami. "I had options in Italy and other places, but I am in the place where I wanted to be. I want to enjoy the game alongside him, help him win, and make him even greater. He is one of the greatest, if not the god of football, and I want to help him."
Casemiro played for nine seasons at Real Madrid and met Messi many times, who was then starring for the arch-rival Barcelona. Now, after years of trying to stop him, the two will collaborate.
"The amount of problems Messi caused me was huge, so of course I dreamed of playing with him. I always wanted to play with the best. I never managed to stop him alone and I always needed help from my teammates. I am very happy that now I am with him and I want to continue winning alongside him," Casemiro admitted.
Since Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, the club has won the Leagues Cup, the Supporters' Shield, and the MLS championship. Casemiro has already made his debut in a 1-0 victory over Montreal in Canada, and now he may record his first home appearance against the Columbus Crew.
Inter Miami has won both its matches since the league resumed after the World Cup, and it is ranked second in the Eastern Conference and in the race for the Supporters' Shield with 37 points, two less than the leader Nashville.
Messi has not yet played for the team since the World Cup, in which he scored eight goals and led Argentina to a second consecutive final, before the 1-0 loss to Spain. The 37-year-old Argentine returned from vacation in his homeland and returned to training in Miami on Wednesday, but it is still unclear when he will return to the lineup.
