MIAMI (AP) — Casemiro grasped his new pink and black jersey while standing on the pitch at Inter Miami's Nu Stadium. Drums banged, flags swirled in the air and a group of supporters cheered, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the Brazilian midfielder.
“I’m happy,” Casemiro said in Spanish. “I’m not only happy here, but my family is also happy to be here. The only thing I want is to enjoy, to keep growing and keep winning.”
After the 34-year-old
was introduced at his new Major League Soccer home, Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas explained the process that brought him there, which was thrust in the spotlight when the league announced last week it would investigate whether the club engaged in tampering to get a deal done.
Casemiro’s discovery rights were held by the LA Galaxy, and by league rule that would have prevented Inter Miami from negotiating with him. The teams reached a settlement that allowed Inter Miami to get the long-awaited signing done, but the league is still probing the tampering allegation.
“The rules are the rules, and we abided by those rules to the letter of the law,” Mas said, adding the ambiguity of which players are on discovery rights lists adds a level of difficulty to the process. “We entered into no negotiation or conversations with Casemiro or his representatives previous to us talking to the league and talking to the LA Galaxy about working out how we’re able to be given a green light to negotiate with Casemiro.”
Mas said he hopes the discovery rights rule for MLS teams changes.
“The intent of this rule was always to not have multiple MLS teams negotiating against each other for one player,” he said. "But as I’m sure we all know and I tend to remind people, we’re not competing with other MLS teams for this level of athlete. We’re actually competing in a global marketplace. There was multiple teams that pursued Casemiro from other leagues, and that’s our competition."
Casemiro has already debuted for Inter Miami, finishing with 76 touches in a 1-0 win at Montreal last Saturday. He decided to leave Manchester United when his contract expired after four years with the club. He joined United from Real Madrid for $60 million in 2022 after winning three Spanish titles and five Champions Leagues. He won the FA Cup and English League Cup at Old Trafford.
He said he had several options on where he could continue his career but ultimately wanted to join what he views as the best squad in MLS.
Inter Miami became that shortly after the arrival of Lionel Messi, who since his arrival in 2023 has led the club to a Leagues Cup trophy, the MLS Supporters' Shield and MLS' biggest prize — a championship.
The reigning champions have won their last two matches since the league resumed play following the World Cup, and they are second in the Eastern Conference and in the Supporters Shield race with 37 points, two behind leader Nashville.
Messi has not suited up for Inter Miami since the World Cup — he led Argentina to its second final, where it lost 1-0 to Spain — as part of a rest period for players who participated in the tournament. The 37-year-old appeared in photos posted on the team's social media account from a recent training session.
Casemiro, who has faced Messi plenty in his career, said it is an honor to wear the same jersey.
“To be honest, all the players want to face the best teams in the world and the best players, so it is a dream come true playing in the same team," he said. “I want to help him continue winning, because he is a winner. ... He is the god of football. I want enjoy with him and keep winning with him.”
Mas said signing Casemiro, who appeared in all five of Brazil’s matches at this year’s World Cup, scoring one goal, aligns with the club's aim of bringing in stars who have complemented Messi — from Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets to Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul.
“We want to be a global club,” Mas said through an interpreter. “When we speak of the characteristics of the players at Inter Miami including the best player in the world, we have tried to bring important players from all over the world like Jordi, like Busi, that were part of the reform of Inter Miami with the arrival of Leo Messi. Casemiro follows that same philosophy.”
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
