Inter Miami’s goalkeeper Nick Marsman’s contract with the team has been terminated, a few weeks after saying that Inter Miami wasn’t ready to sign Lionel Messi.
Messi was greeted with a great deal of pomp when he arrived in South Florida after his surprise transfer to the MLS was finalized with an introduction at DRV PNK Stadium.
The World Cup victor has already proven that the celebration was worthy with seven goals in four games. Marsman, however, wasn’t first certain that Miami’s choice to recruit the Argentine was the right one. The goalkeeper claimed in June that David Beckham’s team lacked the resources to sign a player of Messi’s calibre.
‘I personally think that this club is not ready for Messi’s arrival,’ Marsman told ESPN. ‘We have a temporary stadium, people can just walk on the pitch, there are no gates.
‘We also leave for the stadium without security. I think they aren’t ready. But I hope he comes.’
Just weeks after his comments, Inter Miami has ripped up the 32-year-old’s contract and bought him out of his deal.
The contract of a player may only be terminated by a club once each season in Major League Soccer. After spending two years at Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, the Dutchman moved to Miami halfway through the 2021 season. Drake Callender has been his backup since he was promoted from Inter Miami II in November 2021, and although he made 29 appearances for the club, he was unable to crack the starting lineup.
After being hospitalized in June, Marsman had a difficult few weeks that came to an end with the termination of his contract. His supermodel wife stated on Instagram that a spider bite he had during a family excursion to the zoo caused him to spend three days in the hospital.
Days ago, we mentioned that a coach of an MLS team had called for more protection for Lionel Messi from referees similar to that of Michael Jordan.
When Messi announced last month that he was leaving PSG and joining Inter Miami, the football world was rocked. The topic of discussion has now changed to how officials will shield one of the game’s best players from forceful challenges.
One unnamed coach told The Athletic: “He should get the [Michael] Jordan treatment. [He] should get every single call.”
According to former Atletico Madrid defender Felipe Luis, Messi received favourable treatment during his time at Barcelona. “He’s protected by the press and by the league,” Luis said. “I believe they don’t want one of their best players of all time to be injured and not play.”
Messi is not the first global superstar to join a MLS club, but according to referee Robert Sibiga, the presence of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner could put extra pressure on refs.
“This is not the level of David Beckham, or Zlatan,” said Sibiga. “This is a different level. As referees, the last thing you want to be is to be seen screwing up the game or allowing players who have way less talent and experience to do something to a player like Lionel Messi.”
