Inter Miami Coach Guillermo Hoyos Addresses Messi's Impact on Team

Inter Miami head coach Guillermo Hoyos says the devastating news surrounding Lionel Messi has cut deep inside the club, describing a dressing room weighed down by grief as it tries to move forward.

“Regarding Leo, we know what happened, and it is a huge shame, a source of great pain, and we have really felt that impact,” Hoyos said, as quoted by ESPN. “It has been very hard. Often, there are no words for it. When you go through such a difficult experience, it is hard to recover, yet it is something we all face. In a way, we never truly learn from it because the pain is so intense.”

The mood around the team reflects that reality. Training continues, matches arrive on schedule, but the emotional center of the squad is elsewhere, wrapped up in Messi’s loss and the shock that followed.

Hoyos refused to put any timetable on Messi’s return, making it clear the club will not rush its captain back into action. The priority, he stressed, is giving the legendary forward all the time he needs to grieve properly and on his own terms.

Without their talisman, Inter Miami must now turn back to the competition in front of them. The squad shifts its focus to Wednesday’s 2026 Leagues Cup group-stage clash with Club Leon, a game that suddenly feels like more than just another fixture on the calendar.