Despite the season only just beginning, the first international break of the season is upon us. With national teams from all continents preparing to clash on the grand stage, there are some interesting things to watch out for. Let’s delve into what lies ahead and the key points to note about the upcoming two weeks.
1. Lionel Messi joins the Argentina national team… but how will Inter Miami fare without him?
Lionel Messi is loving life Stateside, and the USA is delighting in having him. The USA has probably never been as interested in football, the World Cup in 1994 aside. Celebrity sightings are frequent at the DMV Stadium and he has even attracted royalty in LA.
He is living up to everyone’s high standards of him, with 11 goals and five assists in 11 games. Inter Miami are unbeaten in all of those.
However, Messi has left for international duty, meaning Miami will be without their newly crowned king for their game against Sporting KC on Sunday. It is unclear whether Messi will be available for the following game against Atlanta.
It will be interesting to see how Miami manage to fair without him!
2. All eyes on Denmark’s games for Rasmus Højlund
Rasmus Højlund, Manchester United’s new €70m striker, will be in action as Denmark face San Marino and Finland over the break. The young Dane made his debut for Manchester United over the weekend in a 3-1 loss to Arsenal, yet the striker conducted himself nobly. He has blistering pace and incredible strength. He troubled Gabriel more in his first two minutes than Martial had done for the first sixty.
Manchester United fans will be keen to watch him play close to a full 90 and have him fit and ready for United’s upcoming fixtures.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo is heating up for Euro 2024…
The evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo has had a bright start to the Saudi Pro League season, to say the least. In four games, he has scored six goals and delivered four assists for his teammates. There’s just no stopping this man.
He already has five goals in four games for Portugal in 2023 and with fixtures against Slovakia and Luxembourg, expect to see some more!
4. Wonderkid Lamine Yamal could break an incredible record!
What were you doing when you were 16? I, for one, had a minor Football Manager 19 addiction and struggled to make my Sunday League team. Lamine Yamal is slightly different. Born in 2007, he has arguably been Barcelona’s best player this season, starting three of their four games. The kid is electric.
Yamal has now been called up for Spain and should he play against either Georgia or Cyprus, he will break the record for the youngest player to represent La Roja, a record previously held by his Barcelona teammate Gavi.
5. CONMEBOL qualifying kicks-off
CONMEBOL qualifying is exciting for many reasons, but the most exciting is the pure talent on display. Football aficionados can enjoy watching the likes of magic Lionel Messi, Darwin Nuñez for Uruguay, Neymar and Vinicius showcasing their skills for Brazil, and Moises Caicedo shining for Ecuador. These exceptional players create unbridled excitement as teams fiercely vie for a coveted spot in the upcoming World Cup 2026.
By Nicky Helfgott / @NickyH3lfgott on Twitter
