Kily González on Messi's national team retirement: "He's ours now, it's our turn to enjoy him"

Lionel Messi has already hung up the light blue and white, but at Inter Miami they get him on the field every single day. That was, essentially, the message Cristian "Kily" González delivered when it was his turn to speak about the Argentine captain's retirement from the national team. The Herons' coach didn't hide his emotion recalling Messi's farewell with Argentina and was crystal clear: now the superstar belongs to them, and it's time to enjoy it.

"It was something very intense," González said Friday about the farewell match. He explained it calmly, like someone still processing what he'd witnessed: the night belonged to Messi, and the only thing that mattered was that he savored it.

I told him to enjoy it, to soak up all that love, not just from Argentina but from the whole world. He'll be missed in that jersey, of course, but today we have him here and we have to enjoy him. He's ours now, so it's my turn to enjoy him too.Kily González

The coach went further, venturing to imagine what Messi himself will feel from here on out: that he'll miss it from the day he retired until the end of his days, because for him the national team was always much more than a jersey. It was the legacy he built while wearing it.

An example felt in every training session

But González didn't stop at the sentimental side. He also spoke about how Messi spreads his particular way of competing, the standard he demands from the entire squad, not just the teammates who share the field with him.

Leo transmits a mentality every day; he demands that his teammates, and all of us, give 100 percent in every sense. He's a born competitor. You see it in every training session and it's incredible: he's 39 years old and he's still chasing new challenges.Kily González

For the coach, that spirit changed the club from the day Messi arrived. And not only that, he sees him happy, enjoying himself, and that, he said, makes him happy too.

Now the focus shifts to D.C. United

With the national team already a memory, Inter Miami returns to the MLS grind. On Saturday night the Herons host D.C. United at Nu Stadium, their first match after the FIFA break. González said he was pleased to have the players back from their national team duty and called for a quick return to winning ways.

It's not a casual request: Inter Miami comes into this match on a five-game winless streak in MLS, with one loss and four draws in their last five league outings. Still, amid that stretch there was one bright spot: on September 16 the team beat Cruz Azul 2-0 in the Campeones Cup.

The upcoming opponent, the coach warned, won't be easy. D.C. United thrives on quick transitions and can do plenty of damage in those moments, so the order is clear: stay solid defensively without losing the drive to go after the game. The Herons sit third in the Eastern Conference with 46 points in 27 games, and they still have matches left to find their rhythm before the final stretch of the season. After D.C. United, their next home match will be against New York City FC on October 14, also at Nu Stadium.