When Lionel Messi announced his move to Major League Soccer, one thing that he mentioned is that the league has less pressure, suggesting that he can be out of the spotlight in comparison to his usual European lifestyle. Barcelona took that a step further by saying that Messi decided to "compete in a league with fewer demands," but is that true?
While the spotlight will be on Messi's every move in Miami, it's quite a different level of expectation than what he's used to, even with Argentina where the country lives and breathes soccer. In a league where nine teams in each conference makes playoffs and there's no promotion and relegation, motivation can be tough to come by at times which Gareth Bale touched on speaking to BT Sport.
"It is a lot more chilled, If you lose at Real Madrid, it is like the world has ended. You are crucified. You feel down. You go home and you're not happy," Bale said. "They accept losing a bit more [in MLS]. There is no consequence. You can't get relegated over there. When you lose a game you go on to the next one. They accept losing a lot better over there."
In some ways, what Bale speaks about is a good thing, since maybe losing shouldn't be a life or death situation and in some leagues, players are even attacked by fans after losses. But there should also be more urgency for a team to perform well. It can be a refreshing change to reset and move on to the next game due to the extended playoff field, something that Bale got to experience first hand with LAFC.
While losing was rare as the Black and Gold won MLS Cup in Bales sole season in the league, he did get to experience quite a few wins which will hopefully mirror Messi's spell with Miami.
"They know how to lose but they celebrate every win like you have won the championship. He will definitely enjoy it," Bale continued to say.
With Inter Miami at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, that will especially ring true. Messi will already be hailed when he joins the team and he'll be playing with house money during his time in Miami, but if he's able to pull the team above the playoff line, that's when the celebrations really will begin. We'll enter a time where no one wants to face Miami due to fear of losing but everyone will want to face Miami to witness Messi's greatness.
