“America don't deserve Messi” - Podcasters trolled by fans for Lionel Messi Inter Miami match fixing claim

A group of podcasters have been slammed by fans after their debate about whether Lionel Messi's debut for Inter Miami was rigged.

The three podcasters discussed Messi's first game for the Herons that saw him net a 90+4th minute free-kick after coming off the bench. It was yet another iconic moment in the Argentine legend's phenomenal career.

However, the 'It is What It is' podcast questioned the legitimacy of the moment as they weighed up whether match-fixing was behind the events that unfolded. The problem for them was that they described each moment incorrectly.

One of the podcasters first asks:

"Do you think it's rigged or no?"

He then delves into Lionel Messi's debut for Inter Miami but gets it completely wrong:

"It's his first game in the MLS, and it's tied up. So when it's tied up, it goes to penalty kicks. Messi comes in and scores the winning penalty kick."

Someone then asks how they pick the player who takes the penalty kick, to which he receives an even more bizarre response:

"They do it by team captain, and then, from there, they do it in order."

Messi, 36, was captain when he scored the winning free-kick (not a penalty) against Cruz Azul on July 22. The podcasters got that right but then incorrectly claimed that he has been appointed captain of the MLS league as a whole.

It's a clip that does America no favors. Fans have reacted to the match-fixing debate by lambasting the podcast. One fan replied in the comments that America are lucky to have Lionel Messi in the MLS:

"When I tell you, America don't deserve Messi."

Here's how fans on Instagram replied in the comments to the podcast:

Fans want Americans to stop discussing football.

Fans continue to put the podcasters on blast.

Fans claim that America doesn't deserve Messi.

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Inter Miami boss Gerard Martino on heated battle Lionel Messi starred in against Orlando City

Messi picked up the first booking on the night.

Lionel Messi has taken to the MLS with ease, bagging five goals and one assist in just his first three games. Those have all been Leagues Cup appearances, and his last one saw him net a brace in a 3-1 win over Orlando City.

However, it was a tense affair between the two Florida rivals at the DRV PNK Stadium. Messi even picked up a booking in the first half and got involved in bust-ups with several of the opposition during the clash.

Herons boss Gerardo Martino has given his take on the battle between the two sides (via GOAL):

"The match the other day (vs Orlando) was completely different from the previous ones, that is true. There was more friction. I attribute it to the fact that there were many South Americans on the pitch."

Martino went on to insist that although there's respect for Lionel Messi, every team wants to win:

"Obviously there is a respect for the best player in the world, but the reality is that over the 90 minutes, each team wants to win. And so it was deserving of him to play on the field the way that he did, and it served up notice to say, 'Our team is here, watch out'."

Messi's magic sent Inter Miami into the last 16 of the Leagues Cup. They face FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Monday (August 7).