Casemiro keen to team with Messi at Miami

Brazil star Casemiro sang the praises of new Inter Miami teammate Lionel Messi on Thursday, calling his former La Liga rival a “god of football.”

“Of course if I’m here it’s because of him and to help him and Inter Miami,” the former Real Madrid midfielder said of the Argentine star who now captains Miami.

“I want to enjoy being with him, help him win, make him even greater. He’s one of the gods, if not the god of football,” Casemiro said as he was officially introduced by his new Major League Soccer club.

Casemiro, who arrived in MLS after a four-year stint at Manchester United, has already played his first minutes for the Herons in a 1-0 win over Montreal on Saturday.

Argentine star Messi sat that one out less than two weeks after his country’s World Cup final defeat to Spain.

Casemiro said he was looking forward to playing alongside, rather than against, Messi, after their many battles in the Spanish league clasicos between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

“I know he’s impossible to stop. I never managed it,” Casemiro said. “I always needed help from my teammates. And in the two training sessions I’ve already had with him, it’s already clear he’s impossible to stop.”

Miami co-owner Jorge Mas beamed as he handed over Casemiro’s pink jersey and denied there had been any impropriety in signing him despite MLS’s investigation into possible “tampering”.

The probe focuses on MLS’s system of “discovery rights,” which must be acquired by a cub before they can start negotiating with some high-profile players.

Casemiro was on LA Galaxy’s list, and Mas said he had contacted the club before starting talks with the Brazilian.

“The rules are the rules, and we abided by those rules to the letter of the law,” Mas said, saying Miami hadn’t entered talks with Casemiro or his representatives before talking to the Galaxy.