Pep Guardiola hailed Manchester City’s 17-year-old sensation Rico Lewis after he scored on his full senior debut against Sevilla.

Man City beat Sevilla 3-1
Lewis scored the equaliser
Guardiola heaps praise on youngster

WHAT HAPPENED? Rafa Mir put Sevilla in front in the first half and it was Lewis who levelled things up at the Etihad Stadium just after the break, powering home a shot after being played in by Julian Alvarez. Guardiola fielded Lewis in the absence of injured England international Kyle Walker and the teenager made the most of the opportunity, even earning a standing ovation from home fans when substituted. The Spanish tactician was thrilled with his performance and thinks him to be a special talent.

WHAT THEY SAID: “What a goal. He’s a fantastic player, so intelligent. He understands everything. He made a fantastic goal and played really well. We don’t give presents because he is a Man City fan or from the academy. We’ve seen him since day one of pre-season. This guy has something special,” Guardiola told BT Sport after the match. “In the second half, we put more people close to the box. In the first half they were a little bit wider.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Lewis became the youngest player in Champions League history to score on his debut, breaking the record set by Karim Benzema in 2005. The Man City player set the new record at 17 years and 346 days while the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner was 17 years and 352 days when he scored for Lyon.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

WHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY? After a resounding victory over Sevilla, Manchester City will welcome Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium.

The Argentine is reportedly considering moving to the US when his PSG contract expires – and it’s a deal that makes sense for a number of reasons.

Could it finally be real this time? Could American soccer’s Lionel Messi dream soon become a reality?

For years, it seemed impossible. Lionel Messi always felt destined to live out his years in Barcelona before maybe, if he felt like it, returning to his native Argentina. There was nothing calling him stateside, no real reason to uproot his life and try something different.

But then the summer of 2021 happened. We know how it went. Barcelona fumbled, Messi was forced to leave and here we are, watching the Argentinian genius play for Paris Saint-Germain.

However, just a year and a half after he changed the dynamics of world soccer by moving to the Parc des Princes, Messi’s future is unclear once again. His contract ends in 2023, leaving him free to do whatever he wants to do.

And, according to the Athletic, it’s more likely than ever that Messi’s next step may be to MLS. The report says that Inter Miami are “increasingly confident”, having held numerous meetings with Messi’s father over several years, with the most recent talks proving positive.

The two parties won’t meet again until after the World Cup finishes, at which point Messi can put pen to paper to sign a pre-contract with any team he’d like.

But could it really be Miami? Could David Beckham’s side really take the leap into super-club status by luring perhaps the biggest star this sport has ever seen?

Miami have always been open with the club’s admiration for Messi, as both Beckham and co-owner Jorge Mas have been asked many times about the ex-Barca star.

“Leo Messi is still one of the best players in the world, his skills have not diminished,” Mas said in February. “I think, and David has a relationship with him, if he does leave PSG, at the time he leaves it, we’d love to see Lionel Messi be a player at Inter Miami and be part of our community.

“Can it happen? Look, we’ll push. I’m an optimist at heart. Could I see that happening? It’s a possibility.”

Beckham added: “I’ve always said I want the best players in our club and playing in our shirt because there’s a certain expectation. Unfortunately, sometimes it can be a bad thing. But most of the time it’s a good thing.

“When I first started this project, people were saying ‘This guy is coming, that guy is coming, [Cristiano] Ronaldo is coming, Messi’s coming.’ At the end of the day, we need to win, whether it’s with the young kids or stars.”

Heading into the 2023 season, Miami has tons of roster flexibility.

After the retirement of Gonzalo Higuain and the potential departures of Alejandro Pozuelo and Rodolfo Pizzaro, the club could use all three Designated Player spots on signings this winter, which would allow them to sign three marquee players.

One could be Messi while the others could, hypothetically, be just about anyone in the world that wants to play with the living legend or vice-versa.

It’s not that MLS wouldn’t bend over backward to allow any team to sign Messi but, in terms of the rules as they are set, Miami can pull it off.

But just because they could do it doesn’t mean they can do it. The hard part isn’t affording Messi, but rather convincing him to join.

Every major club in the world would love to sign him, including his former club, but what will it take to pull it off?

Well, Miami offers several things that most European clubs can’t. They offer a heavily South American-influenced culture in a big city that Messi and his family have visited often.

There’s also the fact that Miami is a much shorter flight back home to his native Argentina than any European side, which could allow him to spend more time with family and, quite possibly, extend his international career with Argentina for a few more years with less travel wear and tear.

“I always said that I have the impression that I would like to enjoy the experience of living in the United States, of living in that league and that life,” the Argentine told La Sexta back in 2020, “but if it happens or not I don’t know.”

It’s widely believed that Miami are the only MLS club that could truly draw Messi. You could never write off the LA clubs and, who knows, maybe ex-teammates David Villa and Thierry Henry could put in a good word for New York.

But, realistically, Miami is the city and club that makes most sense for Messi, with all other teams in MLS standing to benefit from his hypothetical arrival. A rising tide lifts all boats, and the tidal wave brought in by Messimania would be massive.

This move, for Messi, would also be about legacy, not that his needs any more lifting. However, if there was one more frontier to conquer after dominating both Europe and South America, it is the U.S.

Like Beckham before him, Messi’s arrival could legitimately change the trajectory of American soccer.

You could even argue that his arrival would have an even bigger impact than his potential future boss Beckham. With American soccer building towards the 2026 World Cup, the arrival of Messi in MLS would elevate the league into a new stratosphere.

Yes, MLS has been home to stars like Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney and Andrea Pirlo, among other legends.

But this is Lionel Messi we’re talking about. He’s simply different. American soccer will not have seen anything like it since Pele was roaming the field for the New York Cosmos 50 years ago.

And that’s why this deal might just make sense for all involved. In Messi, Miami get the iconic signing to push them closer and closer to competing with the world’s elite.

And in Miami, Messi gets a luxurious landing spot that can allow him to add one more big achievement to his almost unmatched resume by perhaps doing what Pele could not: making the U.S. truly fall in love with soccer for good.

There will be plenty of discussion of Messi’s future in the coming months. We’ve already seen what a summer of Messi was like during his Barcelona exit, and it appears we may just be headed towards part two.

Speculation will run rampant as clubs all over the world will be linked with him as his contract winds down.

Is now the right time? Can Miami really pull it off? We’ll see in the coming months. But this is clearly one dream that could come true.

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The San Siro side have made some big sums by selling their top players over the years

As one of the major forces in Italian and European football, some of the best players of all time have jumped at the chance to join Inter over the decades.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo, Hernan Crespo and Samuel Eto’o are among the many elite stars who have enjoyed successful spells at the San Siro side.

All stars come and go, however, and Inter have done some excellent business when it comes to selling some top names for big fees, too.

But, which players form part of Inter’s most expensive sales?

Inter top 10 most expensive player sales

10. Clarence Seedorf | €22.5m | AC Milan | 2002
Clarence Seedorf moved to Inter from Real Madrid on January 1, 2000 for €24 million after winning the Champions League, the Supercopa de Espana and La Liga in Spain.

The Netherlands midfielder could not win any major silverware at Inter, but did come up with a memorable performance against Juventus in March 2002 when he scored two sublime long-range goals in a 2-2 draw.

Later that summer, Seedorf moved to Inter’s city rivals for €22.50m (£20.25m) and went on to attain legendary status with the Rossoneri.

He won two Serie A titles, two Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, a FIFA Club World Cup and an Italian Super Cup with Milan.

Fun fact: Inter also parted ways with Ronaldo that very same season, with the Brazil icon joining Real Madrid for a fee of €45m (£40.50m).

9. Hernan Crespo | €26m | Chelsea | 2003
One of the greatest strikers of his generation, Hernan Crespo joined Inter from Lazio for €40m in 2002 before being shipped to Chelsea the following year for €26m.

Crespo went on to feature for the Blues for just two full seasons and won the Premier League title in 2005-06.

In between, he joined Milan on loan in 2004 and then returned to Inter for another two season loan starting in 2006 before joining them for free at the end of that spell.

The Argentine forward won three consecutive league titles with Inter between 2006 and 2009.

8. Samuel Eto’o | €27m | Anzhi | 2011
After winning the Champions League, Club World Cup, the Coppa Italia on two occasions, the Supercoppa Italiana and a Serie A title with Inter, Samuel Eto’o joined Anzhi Makhachkala in the summer of 2011.

The Russian club paid €27m for his signature.

After two seasons in Russia, Eto’o joined Chelsea for free in 2013 before moving to Everton, Sampdoria, Antalyaspor, Konyaspor and Qatar SC.

The Cameroon legend retired in 2019.

7. Martio Balotelli | €29.5m | Manchester City | 2010
After impressing at Inter’s academy, Mario Balotelli was promoted to their senior team in 2007.

The Italian forward, who was always in the news for all the wrong reasons, performed extremely well for Inter, winning three league titles, one Coppa Italia, one Supercoppa Italiana and a Champions League in his time there.

In 2010, Balotelli joined Manchester City for €29.5m, where he won the Premier League and FA Cup.

6. Mateo Kovacic | €38m | Real Madrid | 2015
After joining Inter in January 2013 from Dinamo Zagreb, Mateo Kovacic was an immediate first-team regular at San Siro and went on to play 97 games in all competitions.

His performances caught the eye of Real Madrid, who were looking for their next midfield stars at the time.

Los Blancos offered Inter a fee of €38m in the summer of 2015.

However, Kovacic could not compete with Real Madrid’s star midfielders Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro, eventually moving to Chelsea on loan in 2018 and later permanently in 2019 for €45m.

5. Ronaldo | €45m | Real Madrid | 2002
Part of a trio of superstar sales made by Inter in 2002 alongside Clarence Seedorf and Adriano, Ronaldo joined Real Madrid for €45m to become part of the famous Galactico team at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or while at Inter and scored multiple goals against Milan in the famous derbies he was part of.

The Brazilian maestro formed an incredible rivalry with Fiorentina legend Gabriel Batistuta in Serie A during the 90s.

Astonishingly, Ronaldo didn’t win a single Serie A title during his career with Inter or Milan.

4. Mauro Icardi | €50m | PSG | 2020
Mauro Icardi joined Inter from Sampdoria in the summer of 2013 for €13m.

The Argentine striker established himself as a club legend, making 219 appearances and scoring 124 goals.

In the summer of 2019, Paris Saint-Germain came calling and signed him in an initial loan deal before making the deal permanent for €50m in the summer of 2020.

Icardi didn’t win a single Serie A title, but was top scorer in the 2014-15 and 2017-18 league campaigns.

Despite decent performances at PSG, Icardi could not survive at the club beyond two years due to immense competition and decided to move to Galatasaray on loan in the summer of 2022.

3. Achraf Hakimi | €66.5m | PSG | 2021
Inter signed Achraf Hakimi from Real Madrid for €43m in the summer of 2020. The Moroccan defender won the Scudetto in his first and only season at Inter.

After scintillating performances in Italy, PSG came calling, signing him for a premium fee of €66.5m in the summer of 2021.

Since then, Hakimi has gone on to win Ligue 1 and the Trophee des Champions with PSG.

Hakimi was not Inter’s most expensive sale that season, with the Italian giants also parting ways with Romelu Lukaku for a record fee in the same window.

2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic | €69.5m | Barcelona | 2009
Inter made Zlatan Ibrahimovic their most expensive transfer sale in history when they sold him for €69.5m to Barcelona in 2009.

Ibrahimovic won three Serie A titles and the Supercoppa Italiana twice at Inter and could have won the one trophy that has eluded him throughout his career, the Champions League, if he stayed on for another season as Inter lifted the crown in 2009-10.

Zlatan would go on to spend just one season at Barcelona before being loaned to Inter’s arch-rivals AC Milan and then permanently signing for them in 2011.

The Swedish legend would later move to PSG, Manchester United and Los Angeles Galaxy before returning to AC Milan in January 2020.

1. Romelu Lukaku | €113m | Chelsea | 2021
A transfer all Chelsea fans would want to erase from memory, the Blues decided to go big for their former striker Romelu Lukaku in the summer of 2021 when they paid €113m to bring him back to Stamford Bridge, nine years after he left the club.

Inter agreed to sell their best striker at such a premium profit just two seasons after they signed him from Manchester United at a cost of €74m.

However, Lukaku’s return to Chelsea didn’t go as planned and after one season, he was loaned back to Inter for the 2022-23 campaign.

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