Where are they now? The 15 Inter Miami players who have left since Lionel Messi joined
Lionel Messi arriving at Inter Miami in July 2023 heralded a grand new era for the MLS club. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s signing prompted a major rebuild with the squad.
There have been wholesale changes, with former Barcelona boss Tata Martino replacing Phil Neville in the dugout and fellow ex-Barca old boys Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez joining Messi out in the Florida sunshine.
But what became of the players who were made to move on and make room for Messi and his pals? We’ve checked in on the 15 players that have departed Inter Miami since Messi’s arrival.
Rodolfo Pizarro
Technically the Mexican attacking midfielder and Messi never overlapped at Inter Miami. Pizarro and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract on the same day that Messi’s signing was announced.
But we’re counting this one because it was clear as day he moved on to make space for the US soccer’s most glamorous import since Pele.
“I do think it’s hard,” said Pizarro, shortly before the two deals were announced. “I have a contract — I didn’t know I could be traded anyways. It’s a bit strange … I think it’s the only league in the world that does this.”
A couple of days later he signed a two-year deal with Super League Greece club AEK Athens.
Pizarro made just 22 appearances, six starts, in all competitions last season as AEK finished runners-up to PAOK. He notched zero goals and just one assist and has been linked with a move back across the Atlantic, either back to MLS or a Liga MX club.
Nick Marsman
“I personally think that this club is not ready for Messi’s arrival,” the Dutch goalkeeper told ESPN when Messi was first rumoured to join the club.
“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.”
Those comments understandably did not go down well with the club’s hierarchy, and in August 2023 – shortly after Messi’s signing was announced – they exercised their one-time contract buyout on the Dutch goalkeeper, six months before his deal was due to expire.
That meant they paid off the remainder of his salary, but he no longer counted against their salary cap. It also freed up a spot on their international roster quota.
Josef Martinez
The Venezuelan forward was probably Inter Miami’s biggest star name of the pre-Messi era.
He’s scored over a hundred MLS goals and was among the league’s standout players, alongside Miguel Almiron, as Martino’s Atlanta United dazzled their way to the MLS Cup in 2018.
But his stay in Florida was short and sweet. He only lasted one season, with Inter Miami opting against exercising their option to extend his stay for a second year. He’s since joined CF Montreal and has notched five goals and three assists in 15 MLS appearances in 2024.
Gregore
“Eight Ballon d’Ors, you deserve it. We thank you for everything you did for football, and it is a pleasure for us to be working with you,” Brazilian midfielder Gregore said after Messi returned from a glitzy Paris gala with yet another golden ball in tow.
However, he only actually lined up alongside Messi on one occasion – a 1-0 defeat to Charlotte – and was promptly moved on after losing his spot at the base of Inter Miami’s midfield to Busquets.
With gametime surely limited, he returned home in February and joined Botafogo, who are currently riding high at the top of the Brazilian Serie A.
Dixon Arroyo
The Ecuadorian only joined Inter Miami last April as cover for the injured Gregore. He lasted last less than 12 months with the club, but he did notch 24 appearances – including a starting spot alongside Messi, Busquets and Alba in the 2023 League Cup final.
In January, Arroyo left on a free transfer and joined Barcelona… S.C, the Ecuadorian side.
Aside from that stint in Miami, Arroyo has spent his entire, fairly ordinary, career turning out for clubs in his home country of Ecuador. But when he retires, he’ll be able to say he lined up alongside Messi in a cup final. Some claim to fame, that.
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Kamal Miller
“It was mainly the opportunity to reunite with Phil [Neville],” explained Miller on his decision to join Portland Timbers ahead of the 2024 campaign.
“He’s a great coach, someone who puts a lot of faith and a lot of trust in me, and as a player that’s what you’re really looking for when you’re looking for a boss and somewhere to call home and to play your best football.”
The Canada international was signed by Neville last April but they didn’t overlap for long. Miller actually signed a contract extension running to 2026 in October but a short while later he was transferred to the Timbers for a reported $625,000 fee.
Neville’s side have a mixed record in 2024 so far, sitting eighth in the Western Conference with 10 wins, six draws and nine defeats from their 25 outings.
Christopher McVey
Swedish centre-back McVey was a regular fixture for Inter Miami as they struggled in the 2022 season but he’d fallen back to a fringe role in 2023 and only shared 24 minutes across three matches on the pitch alongside Messi.
He was released at the end of the campaign and was since signed on a free transfer by D.C. United, for whom he’s featured considerably more prominently this season.
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Nicolas Stefanelli
“I see him in training and I drool,” the Argentinian midfielder told Fox Sports of his superstar compatriot
“Then, when he makes a pass and his back is to the player, I ask myself: ‘How does he see that pass? It just can’t be’. That’s why he is also the best player in history.”
Stefanelli only joined Inter Miami back in January 2023 but was sold 12 months later. He’s scored three goals in 15 appearances to date for his new club, Hungarian outfit Fehervar.
Leandro Gonzalez Pirez
Another Argentinian, centre-back Gonzalez Perez had been on Inter Miami’s books since they were first established as an MLS club back in 2020.
But he was sent out on loan to River Plate long before Messi’s arrival, and the Argentinian giants took up their option to make the deal permanent in January. At no point at his parent club did he ever get the opportunity to play alongside his compatriot.
Jean Mota
In May 2023, the Brazilian midfielder suffered a nasty knee injury which sidelined him for almost six months.
“For me it’s a dream come true to be able to play with Messi and be able to play with him day in and day out and be there on the field with a player of this calibre, so for us it’s fantastic,” Mota said of Messi upon his arrival.
He eventually returned to play a small handful of games alongside the star addition, but in March 2024 he was sold to Brazilian outfit Vitoria.
DeAndre Yedlin
Messi was immediately given Inter Miami’s captaincy upon his arrival at the Chase Stadium, taking it from the former Tottenham and Newcastle full-back. But in a touch of class, Messi handed it back to Yedlin before the Leagues Cup trophy lift last summer.
“Just his overall vibe and attitude … he’s always smiling, he talks to everybody,” said Yedlin of Messi.
“He could have come in and said, ‘I’m doing stuff my way and that’s how it’s going to be.’ But he’s come in and he’s completely mixed in with the group: the old guys, the young guys, just like a regular player.
“Obviously I had ridiculous respect for him as a player before I played with him, but I have even more respect for him now. He’s an unbelievable human being.”
Shortly before the 2024 campaign got underway, Yedlin was transferred to expansion outfit FC Cincinnati. He remains a regular fixture in MLS.
Victor Ulloa
The Mexican midfielder is only 32 years of age, but he decided to hang up his boots after his contract with Inter Miami expired at the end of last season.
“As one chapter closes, another begins,” wrote Ulloa on social media, having served as an MLS player for 13 seasons with FC Dallas, FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami.
“I am excited for the next phase of my life and the challenges it may bring. Thank you all for being a part of this extraordinary journey.”
Corentin Jean
MLS teams are permitted to use one buyout of a guaranteed contract per season, which removes that player’s cap hit. In 2023, they used it on the aforementioned Marsman and in 2024 they used it on French striker Corentin Jean.
A part of Claudio Ranieri’s Monaco side that achieved promotion from Ligue 2 in 2014-15, Jean went on to play a fringe role in their Ligue 1 title triumph a couple of years later. But his time with Inter Miami was marred by injuries and he only scored one goal for the club.
However, the 29-year-old has since rejoined the club’s B Team and is currently turning out alongside a younger crop of players in the MLS Next Pro.
Edison Azcona
If you’re a football obsessive who’s consuming whatever you can get during these fallow summer months, you may recall Azcona’s name from the Dominican Republic’s Olympic side.
The young midfielder had mostly developed his skills in Inter Miami’s B Team but he did progress to make a handful of appearances for the first team amid a couple of loans away.
He’s recently joined USL Championship outfit Las Vegas Lights on a permanent deal after impressing on loan.
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Robbie Robinson
The winger may possess the most American name imaginable, but he’s also eligible to represent Chile through his mother. He was even called up by Chile but left their training camp, saying he “needed more time to decide which team to represent”
Fast forward three years and a senior international appearance for either doesn’t appear all that likely. Last month he agreed to terminate his contract with Inter Miami, having failed to make a single appearance in 2024.
Robinson is currently unattached.