Toronto midfielder Víctor Vázquez praises “unstoppable” Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi

Vázquez and Messi played alongside one another in Barcelona’s youth academy and will come head-to-head at DRV PNK Stadium on Wednesday.

Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami has completely revolutionised both The Herons and MLS, which was again seen in the Florida club’s last game at Atlanta United. In their first league match without him, David Beckham’s side suffered their first defeat since he signed, meaning they now face an uphill battle to qualify for the end-of-season playoffs.

The question on everyone’s lips is whether or not Messi will be fit to return to action on Wednesday, when Inter Miami host Toronto FC. Speaking to the media ahead of the game, The Reds’ Spanish midfielder Victor Vázquez is well aware of the enormity of the challenge of coming up against Messi, who he played alongside as a youngster in Barcelona youth teams.

“The plan is to try to play our own game, to try to score more goals than them. Messi is unstoppable, that’s the reality. He is a very special player and everyone knows that”, admitted Vázquez.

But rather than losing sleep over it, the ex-LA Galaxy schemer is looking forward to tackling three of his old teammates at La Masía: “I am very excited to play against him and as well as (Sergio) Busquets and Jordi (Alba). And against Miami too because now they are one of the strongest teams in MLS”, Vázquez added.

Meanwhile, Toronto FC interim coach Terry Dunfield wants to see Inter Miami’s top stars, led by Messi, all feature in the game.

“We hope Messi is involved. Since he started playing in our league, what he has done has been incredible. Not just individually, but also he has improved the standard of Inter Miami and his teammates, as well as the whole league”.

So, what’s Dunfield plan to