New York City coach reveals surprising side effect of Inter Miami employing Lionel Messi bodyguard
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Lionel Messi has made a profound impact on US soccer since joining Inter Miami in 2023.
Despite an injury layoff, the Argentine sensation is lighting it up on the field this season with 14 goals and 15 assists in 15 games.
Head coach Tata Martino has led Miami to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Messi is the heart and soul of the roster, and Miami co-owner David Beckham has gone to unprecedented lengths to keep him safe.
Former Navy Seal Yassine Chueko was hired as Messi’s bodyguard.
Boasting a huge frame and an Instagram account full of martial arts videos, the Iraq and Afghanistan veteran is an intimidating presence.
He follows Messi’s every move down the sidelines during games and enters the field to guide the 37-year-old down the tunnel.
New York City FC head coach Nick Cushing chatted to talkSPORT following a 1-1 draw with Miami.
And he suggested that Messi’s shadow has led to an unintended consequence.
talkSPORT presenter Andy Goldstein asked Cushing if the Argentine World Cup winner really had a security guard running down the touchline with him.
“Yeah, he does,” he confirmed before revealing a surprising side effect of the move. “The bodyguard’s become as famous as him.”
Chueko regularly posts pictures of himself with Messi on social media and could have secured himself a future income as an influencer long after the Barcelona great retires.
He has racked up 838,000 Instagram followers – boosted after he went viral for shadowing the soccer phenom.
Cushing revealed his masterplan for shutting down Messi and Suarez to earn a valuable draw.
“It’s incredibly difficult when you play a team of their level,” he said.
“They’re running away with the MLS currently, and for us it was about reducing the spaces and the amount of time that they get to impact the game.
“We’re a high pressing team and we like to press really hard.
“We like to try and turn our the defensive side of our game into our attack.
“We reduced Messi one touch in the box, Suarez three shots in the game – we defended the game really well, which gave us the opportunity to get something out of it.
“Messi in particular. I’m sure every coach has tried to do something individually on him.
“And he is somebody that can play outplay that.
“So for us, it was about defending as a team to make sure that we control the game defensively, whether we’re low or whether we’re high.”
