Former Inter Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman has admitted claims he was critical of Lionel Messi’s move to the team were ‘unpleasant’ and insists it was a ‘dream come true’ to play – briefly – in the same team as him.
Messi’s arrival in South Florida was unsurprisingly greeted with immense fanfare earlier this year.
But Marsman wasn’t initially convinced that Miami’s signing of the Argentine was justified or a good idea.
Back in June, the shotstopper suggested that David Beckham’s team wasn’t equipped to acquire a player of Messi’s quality.
‘I personally think that this club is not ready for Messi’s arrival,’ Marsman said at the time.
Those comments did not go down well with the club or fans as they desperately hoped Messi would sign for them.
Just weeks after his comments, Inter Miami decided to terminate the 33-year-old’s contract and bought him out of his deal.
Now Marsman has insisted he wasn’t trying to sabotage a move for Messi and says he was unfairly criticized.
‘Inter Miami is an ambitious club with big dreams where they try again and again to make the impossible possible,’ he told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.
‘But they were points that made me dismiss the speculation about a possible arrival of Messi at that moment.
