"I think Lionel Messi specifies the grass height" - Borussia Dortmund director makes claim about Inter Miami star at Miami training facility
Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has claimed that Inter Miami attacker Lionel Messi dictates the grass height at the Herons' training ground. BvB play their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup opener against Fluminese at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Messi and his former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez started up front, but Javier Mascherano's side could only manage a goalless stalemate against Egyptian side Al Ahly at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Saturday.
Meanwhile, ahead of his team's campaign opener against Fluminese, Kehl said (as translated from German), via Sporty about the grass at the Herons' training facility:
"It's different. Yes, the grass is different. It's a different quality, but that's nothing unusual when you go to new countries. We've been to America a lot. We've been to Asia a lot. I think you adapt to it very, very quickly.
"What's special here is that Lionel Messi specifies the grass height. I think that here at the training centre. Now it's cut very, very short. But the guys are having fun. It's been watered. The balls are a little different, but nothing that will slow us down in any way."
Inter Miami are making their FIFA Club World Cup debut, having won their inaugural MLS Supporters' Shield last season.
What's next for Lionel Messi's Inter Miami?
Lionel Messi and Co. will seek to bounce back from their goalless draw with Al Ahly when they next entertain Primeira Liga giants FC Porto at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Thursday (June 19).
Messi is seeking a personal milestone at the tournament. The record eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is two goals shy of the Club World Cup's two all-time record scorers, Cristiano Ronaldo and the late Pele. The Brazilian graced the competition in the 1960s when it was known as the Intercontinental Cup.
For the season, Messi, 37, has 15 goals and six assists in 21 games across competitions. Overall, he has 49 strikes and 24 assists in 60 outings for Inter Miami since his arrival at the club in the summer of 2023 after two decades in European football.
