Nicolas Freire has praised Lionel Messi’s leadership qualities after Inter Miami’s 2-1 loss to Monterrey last night.

The Herons’ captain was again absent from the matchday squad as Messi failed to recover in time to face Monterrey in Inter Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup clash against the Mexican side.

With Inter Miami throwing away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to the Rayados, the Florida franchise face a mountain to climb in the return leg next week in Nuevo Leon, especially if Messi is again ruled out.

Nicolas Freire praises Lionel Messi despite Inter Miami no-show

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Yet speaking to Deporte Total USA, defender Freire was full of praise for Messi when asked about the forward’s leadership skills, with the captain still involved with motivating his team despite being out injured.

The 36-year-old watched on from the sidelines with Messi again making it publically aware that he was watching Inter Miami games and supporting his team despite being out injured.

And this support has been greatly appreciated by Inter Miami’s players, with Freire lauding the Argentine international for his qualities as a captain and a leader even when not playing.

The Argentine defender said: “He is a born leader and he is always supporting whether it is his turn to play or not, that is what leaders do and he is always present.”

Inter Miami will hope star forward can face Monterrey next week

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Messi is clearly fully invested in taking Inter Miami as far as they can during his time at the club, with the forward a big miss in recent games for Tata Martino’s side.

And the veteran attacker will be hopeful he can feature in some capacity next week against Monterrey in Mexico, a game that could be considered the biggest in Inter Miami’s short history.

Winning the Champions Cup has been set as an early season priority for the Herons, and Messi will want to bring continental success to Florida more than anything this year.