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Casemiro has spoken of his happiness after joining Inter Miami on a free transfer, describing new team-mate Lionel Messi as the “God of football”. The Brazilian midfielder also spoke about Norway’s Erling Haaland following Brazil’s painful exit from the World Cup.

Casemiro unveiled as Inter Miami player

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro is now officially an Inter Miami player, and he made his debut as the Herons secured a 1-0 win over CF Montreal in MLS. The 34-year-old Brazil international arrived as a free agent after leaving Old Trafford when his contract expired.

Even though he had opportunities to stay in European football, with clubs in Italy interested in signing him, Casemiro made it clear that Miami was always his first choice. The holding midfielder now becomes part of a star-filled squad featuring former rivals Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

Playing alongside the ‘God of football’

After spending years trying to contain Messi in fierce El Clasico contests in Spain, Casemiro was full of admiration for the Argentina star. The midfielder admitted that stopping Messi on his own had been impossible throughout his career.

“The amount of trouble Messi gave me,” Casemiro said, as quoted by ESPN. “Of course, I dreamed of playing with him, I always wanted to play with the best. I could never stop him, I always needed the help of my teammates.

“I am very happy to be alongside him now and I want to continue winning titles with him. I want to enjoy being alongside him, help him and make him even greater. He is one of the gods of football, if not the God of football himself, and I want to help.”

Reflecting on World Cup pain against Haaland

Casemiro also looked back on Brazil’s painful elimination from the 2026 World Cup by Norway. The midfielder reserved special praise for Haaland after the prolific striker scored twice to send the Selecao out of the tournament.

“What happened at the World Cup... we’re talking about a team that has one of the best number 9s in the world, Haaland, and he scored twice,” he said. “It hurts to talk about the World Cup because, in the end, it was a dream I had in my career. But I’m lucky to have played in three World Cups for Brazil, which is incredible, because when I was a child I never dreamed that this would happen. I enjoyed it a lot.”

Focused on silverware in MLS

With his time in European football and his international career now behind him, Casemiro is fully focused on adding more trophies to his collection in the United States. He will aim to help Messi win another title in America, with the Herons’ next MLS match set to be against Columbus.