'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has explained Lionel Messi's impact on MLS since arriving in the league with Inter Miami last summer after nearly two decades in European football.
The 37-year-old was widely linked with a return to his former club Barcelona - where he had spent 17 seasons - and there were also offers from Saudi Arabia following the expiry of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain. However, Messi chose to embark on a new adventure in South Florida, and the move has paid rich dividends, both on and off the field.
Despite enduring an injury-plagued first full season with the side, Messi played his part as the Herons won the Supporters' Shield, their second title in club history, with the first - the 2023 Leagues Cup - also coming after Messi's arrival.
Messi's arrival has sparked an increase in attendance figures, especially in games featuring the Argentine, boosting the league's overall profile and popularity. Newly minted USMNT boss Pochettino said about his compatriot's impact (as translated from CNN Espanol):
"The impact is impossible to measure because it is incredible. Not only on the fans, but on everything. The ability to motivate everyone, the entire structure around him, but the impact of seeing him compete with the players, especially those in the MLS.
"Of saying “we are competing against the best player in the world” and that is something that gives you an incredible opportunity for personal growth. I think that is an impact that is difficult to measure today, it is so great that it is very difficult to measure it at the moment, but it will have an impact not only in the present, but over time, in the medium and long term."
Messi's latest title with the Herons was a record-extending 46th of his illustrious career, with the 45th being Argentina's 2024 Copa America triumph in July.
How has Lionel Messi fared in MLS this season?
Lionel Messi has made a decent start to his first full season with Inter Miami despite missing two months of action due to international duty and a subsequent ankle injury.
In 18 MLS games, he has contributed 17 goals and 10 assists. He struck twice - including a sumptuous free-kick in the 3-2 win at Columbus - that sealed the Herons' first Supporters' Shield.
Messi has also struck twice and provided as many assists in three games in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, where Tata Martino's side lost 5-2 on aggregate to Monterrey in the last-eight.
