Lionel Messi Gets Stern Warning from Wayne Rooney After Inter Miami Move

Lionel Messi is now in Miami ahead of his official unveiling for Inter Miami. However, English soccer legend Wayne Rooney is warning the Argentinian that the MLS would not be an easy league.

The former England captain spoke at an interview and stated that "many players arrive in MLS and struggle to adapt and that Messi may be no different."

"Everything is set for him," said the former Manchester United player. "He's got all his mates over! [Sergio] Busquets and Jordi Alba have signed for Inter Miami and maybe [Andres] Iniesta will join them. Luis Suarez, too. Messi has a coach [Inter Miami manager Tata Martino] he likes and trusts. It's huge, especially with what's going on in Saudi, for the MLS to attract Messi."

Despite this, however, he still says that the World Cup winner would not find it easy in the American league, according to ESPN, as Rooney attributed this to "the traveling, the different conditions in different cities, and there's a lot of energy and intensity on the pitch."

Wayne Rooney played the latter days of his career with DC United for two years, playing 52 matches and scoring 25 goals. He now serves his former team as a manager.

Lionel Messi Already Spotted Shopping With His Kids in Miami Ahead of Inter Miami Reveal

Lionel Messi is already in Miami and was recently seen shopping at a local grocery store chain with his family.

Yahoo! Sports noted that this is rather unusual for the Argentinian as US athletes usually get mobbed by adoring fans. However, it seems that even in a city with a lot of Latinos, the Argentinian soccer legend was able to peacefully do his shopping just like any other normal person.

This may be because soccer is not as big as basketball or American football in the US yet, so somebody like Messi, who may be known worldwide, can go about his business without attracting much attention. It is noted that if LeBron did this in a US grocery store, he would have gotten mobbed by fans.

With Messi's acquisition, the MLS is hoping that it would attract more fans to the sport, as it is currently not as popular as the "Big 3" of American football, basketball, and baseball. He was by Inter Miami on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo Now Being Paid Higher Than Lionel Messi After Latter's Inter Miami Move

Lionel Messi used to be the highest-paid athlete in the world and was offered even more to move to Saudi Arabia. However, he chose a lower payday in the MLS instead. Because of this, his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, has now overtaken him for the highest annual earnings of any athlete.

According to GOAL, Cristiano Ronaldo has now taken #1 in Forbes's list of the world's highest-paid athletes for the first time since 2017 and earning a Guinness World Record for it as his annual earnings for 2023 are a staggering $136 million since his move to Saudi Arabia side Al-Nassr. This is higher than last year's record set by Messi at $130 million.

While Messi's expected earnings with Inter Miami are still big, it would not be higher than Ronaldo's who will be earning his due on the pitch and off it, endorsing brands and Saudi tourism.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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