New England Revolution defender Xavier Arreaga has now shared what it was like going up against Inter Miami and Lionel Messi on Saturday.
The Herons enjoyed yet another successful away trip with Inter Miami coming away from a 65,000-strong Gillette Stadium with a 4-1 win, with Messi scoring twice before adding two assists in another statement performance.
Breaking another MLS record, it was a night to remember for Messi and Inter Miami, who again showed their credentials as favorites for the Supporters’ Shield as well as MLS Cup, with a play-off spot likely to be clinched.
And Arreaga has now detailed what it was like to go up against Messi.
Arreaga says he’s never faced a player quite like Messi in MLS
Speaking to the Boston Globe, the Ecuador international revealed that Messi showed on the weekend why he is the best to ever play the game, with Arreaga praising the Inter Miami star’s performance.
With two goals and two assists, it was a vintage Messi display, and the likes of Arreaga looked lost when facing the Argentine international in full flow in Massachusetts on the weekend.
Arreaga said when asked what it was like to take on Messi with New England on Saturday: “That kind of player, that’s why he’s the best, because he can find the space that I think no other player can find.
“Obviously they also have a good player like Busquets, they know the perfect pass between them. It was hard because I think the first 35 minutes, we did a great job trying to block most of the passes for Messi, but at the end of the day, we couldn’t do that and he scored.”
Messi showed against New England why Inter Miami can create history
Messi has been on a tear since returning from injury with Inter Miami, with the forward looking as fit and healthy as ever since making the move to Florida last summer from PSG.
And the 36-year-old attacker’s performance against New England showed why Inter Miami can create MLS history this season in the form of the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup.
Indeed, winning the double is quite the achievement, yet with Messi in this sort of form, Inter Miami can afford to dream big with the Argentine leading the charge this season.
