PACHUCA, MEXICO - JANUARY 16: Oscar Ustari, goalkeeper of Pachuca, celebrates his team's first goal during the 2nd round match between Pachuca and Chivas as part of the Torneo Grita Mexico C22 at Hidalgo Stadium on January 16, 2022 in Pachuca, Mexico. (Photo by Jaime Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images)
Oscar Ustari reveals who convinced him to join Inter Miami alongside Lionel Messi
Oscar Ustari is the latest player to join Inter Miami, with the former Argentine international linking up with Lionel Messi once again.
The pair came through the national team set-up and have remained good friends ever since, with Ustari signed earlier this year to act as backup for Drake Callender, a transfer that has been warmly received by Inter Miami fans.
With the Herons heading into the play-offs, having two good goalkeepers in Callender and Ustari will be massive for Inter Miami in their bid to win MLS Cup, with depth in every position key if the Florida franchise want to go all the way.
And Ustari has now revealed which Inter Miami figure alongside Messi convinced him to move to Chase Stadium.
Tata Martino played a role in Ustari joining Inter Miami
Speaking to TN, the veteran goalkeeper shared how manager Tata Martino was influential in Ustari making the move to Inter Miami, with Messi also speaking to the goalkeeper as part of the transfer plot.
Ustari said about his move to Inter Miami: “I was in Mexico when Tata called me. It was on August 28, my father’s birthday. [He told me that] I met all the conditions. Leo was able to contribute his grain of sand, also believing that I have all the conditions to be where I am today.
“[With Martino] we talked about the situation of the club. I was honest with him and told him that I could take a place and that he could count on me. It was all very quick, there wasn’t much time.
“The possibility of playing in a competitive league like MLS is exciting. In my case, I don’t let new experiences pass me by, this was an opportunity and I took it.”
Messi and Martino did well to bring Ustari to Inter Miami
Ustari might only be a second-choice goalkeeper for Inter Miami, yet the experience the veteran shot-stopper brings to Chase Stadium as well as his connection with Messi is something that is hard to find in the market.
Just like the appointment of Martino and the signings of Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, Inter Miami have nailed it in surrounding Messi with people he is familiar with both on and off the pitch.
And Ustari is the latest example of such a signing, with the goalkeeper a welcome addition to the Inter Miami squad and a figure who could be huge in the Herons going all the way in MLS Cup later this year.
