NBA legend Stephen Curry lavished praise on football great Lionel Messi for creating a massive global impact on the sporting world. Messi, who dominated European football for more than 15 years, made a move to the US and joined MLS club Inter Miami in 2023. Since his arrival in the US, football has drawn massive attention from fans, and the crowd inside the stadium has experienced rapid growth in the last season. The MLS has also started getting attention in other continents since Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami, who also qualified for this year’s FIFA Club World Cup.
Golden State Warriors stalwart Curry, who is also a big influential sportsperson in the US, expressed his admiration for Messi and his impact on the sporting world.
“Greatness inspires greatness in many ways. There’s nothing specific you can apply from football to basketball. It’s about longevity, creativity, and his [Messi’s] impact on the sport worldwide,” Curry told reporters.
Messi, who is arguably the greatest footballer ever, has brought a lot of attention to football in the US, as his arrival also opened doors for other big names to join MLS.
The NBA stalwart admitted that he had massive respect for Messi and how he conducted himself on and off the field, which he also tried to emulate.
“We appreciate greatness, of course, he inspires you to keep going and to keep doing things your way. I have the utmost respect for him for how he takes care of himself both on and off the field. I try to emulate the same,” he added.
Meanwhile, Messi is getting another preseason tour with Inter Miami, this one a five-match trip that will see the reigning MLS Supporters’ Shield winners playing in four different countries as it tunes up for the 2025 season. With 34 regular season MLS matches, five preseason games and the three cup tournaments, Inter Miami could easily exceed 50 matches this season — and probably will play even more than that. And that doesn’t even count international matches for Messi and likely several other Inter Miami players.
This is the schedule for Inter Miami’s preseason games:
Saturday, January 18 – America of Mexico at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Wednesday, January 29 – Club Universitario de Deportes at the Estadio Monumental in Lima, Peru.
Sunday, February 2 – Sporting San Miguelito at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez Gutierrez in Panama City, Panama.
Saturday, February 8 – Club Deportivo Olimpia at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Friday, February 14 – Orlando City at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
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