As Lionel Messi has landed in the United States to complete his move to Inter Miami and MLS, a headline is coming left, right, and centre. The Argentine World Cup winner is yet to kick a ball in Inter Miami colours, but a lot is said about how he will play in his new team. Messi will not just be the most popular player coming to North America but also the most wanted.

The MLS must carefully select Officials to officiate matches involving Messi. Otherwise, the former Barcelona man will be a target of numerous defenders like we have seen in his prime years at Camp Nou. 

Messi will complete his move to Inter Miami and debut against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup on July 22. After his official transfer, he will become the highest-paid player in the MLS. It is reported that the former Paris Saint Germain (PSG) man turned down a £78.3m offer to play in the Saudi Pro League. Going to the United States will cut him slack against rough, aggressive defenders.

This move of Messi has many similarities to David Beckham’s move to LA Galaxy in 2007. The former Manchester United man left Real Madrid for the MLS in 2007, earning 500 times more than he made at the Spanish capital. 

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FC Dallas defender Adrian Serioux got a straight red card after a horrible challenge on Beckham in 2008. He didn’t apologize for the incident, saying, “He’s great for MLS, but me and a few others are going after him. He’s made us feel unappreciated … If he’s on the ball, he’s there to be hit hard.”

Match referee Baldomero Toledo recalled the incident and believes Messi could have similar instances in his MLS matches. The referee told the Athletic, “That’s a good example of how we had to protect those players when they got those nasty tackles. (Beckham’s) teammates, they wanted to make sure we protected him as a player. If something happened, we needed to be ready to react within the game.”

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