‘Messi is one of the gods, if not the god of football’: Casemiro hails Lionel Messi at Inter Miami presentation

Casemiro has emerged as Inter Miami’s marquee addition of the 2026 summer transfer window, instantly filling the high-profile defensive midfield void the club struggled to replace. Set to share the pitch with Lionel Messi, the Brazilian superstar offered glowing praise during his official introduction: “Messi is one of the gods, if not the god of football.“

Following his starting run with Brazil at the 2026 World Cup, Casemiro opted to join Inter Miami in free agency, providing the Herons with a proven defensive anchor in the wake of Sergio Busquets’ retirement. Although the 34-year-old made his club debut last Saturday, logging a full 90 minutes in a 1-0 road victory over CF Montreal, his formal unveiling took place Thursday at Nu Stadium.

During Thursday’s press conference, as reported by journalist José Armando, Casemiro spoke passionately about teaming up with Messi: “I am living a dream to play with one of the greatest of all time. I want to enjoy it, I want to help him continue winning because he is a winner. He teams up with another player who wants to win, who wants to compete. In the end, the margin between winning and losing is always very close, we know that, but we want to compete, and we want to compete.“

Casemiro expressed gratitude to managing owner Jorge Mas and co-owner David Beckham, noting that despite lucrative interest from European suitors, South Florida was his top priority. “I had many options—I had offers in Italy, I had many teams reaching out—but I am exactly where I want to be,” he stated.

He concluded by placing Messi among the most influential figures in sports history: “I want to enjoy that, being with him, making him win, making him greater; he is one of the gods, if not the god of football. So I want to enjoy it with him and keep winning with him.“

Since Busquets hung up his boots, Inter Miami struggled to replicate the midfield balance that drove their previous championship runs, a vulnerability Casemiro’s presence is expected to resolve. The five-time Champions League winner inked a deal through June 2027 that includes a club option through 2029.

Casemiro joins exclusive club to play alongside Messi and Ronaldo

During their prime years in Europe, Messi and Casemiro shared an intense rivalry on opposite sides of El Clasico, featuring in epic Barcelona–Real Madrid clashes alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as heated international battles between Argentina and Brazil. Now in the twilight of his career, the decorated midfielder finds himself partnering with the player he once spent years trying to suppress.

With the move, Casemiro becomes just the 28th player in soccer history to play alongside both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He is also the eighth former Real Madrid player to subsequently share a locker room with Messi, joining Angel Di Maria, Sergio Ramos, Gonzalo Higuain, Achraf Hakimi, Keylor Navas, Pablo Sarabia, Fernando Gago, and Ezequiel Garay.

Complete List of Players to Play with Both Messi and Ronaldo

1. Angel Di Maria
2. Gerard Pique
3. Sergio Ramos
4. Paulo Dybala
5. Gonzalo Higuain
6. Carlos Tevez
7. Achraf Hakimi
8. Keylor Navas
9. Deco
10. Vitinha
11. Henrik Larsson
12. Martin Caceres
13. Miralem Pjanic
14. Arthur Melo
15. Nelson Semedo
16. Andre Gomes
17. Danilo Pereira
18. Nuno Mendes
19. Renato Sanches
20. Francisco Trincao
21. Pablo Sarabia
22. Alejandro Garnacho
23. Lisandro Martinez
24. Gabriel Heinze
25. Fernando Gago
26. Ezequiel Garay
27. Gonzalo Martinez
28. Casemiro