MIAMI – FIFA World Cup winner and seven-time league champion in France and Italy, Frenchman Blaise Matuidi has signed with Inter Miami CF on Thursday.
The signing makes Matuidi the third active world champion to play in Major League Soccer following on from Brazilian Branco who played with the New York/New Jersey Metrostars in 1997, and German Bastian Schweinsteiger played for Chicago Fire from 2017-2019.
“I couldn’t be happier to welcome my friend Blaise to Inter Miami. He is an exciting and gifted player and a great person. To have a World Cup winner of Blaise’s quality in our new team is such a proud moment – for us as owners and for our fans. For me personally, to have a former teammate joining our club is very special and I can’t wait to welcome him and his beautiful family to South Florida.”
Inter Miami CF co-owner David Beckham
Matuidi has already taken the number eight jersey and comes as the most successful individual player winning 22 trophies including the World Cup, four Ligue 1 and three Serie A titles. He has also won individual honors, the 2015 French Player of the Year award and twice named to the Ligue 1 team of the season.
His most recent side was Italian giant and Serie A champion Juventus, where he won the title in all three seasons he was at the club. He played 133 times for the Old Lady, the second most of anyone during his time at the club, scoring eight goals and providing seven assists. He also impressed in continental competition with 23 appearances, two goals, and one assist.
Should the paperwork come through from FIFA and US Citizenship and Immigration Services quick enough, Matuidi will play in the Heron’s first match back. Miami will face Orlando City next Saturday to open Inter Miami CF Stadium, and Matuidi’s addition will be a significant boost to take on the MLS is Back runners-up.
(Photo: Aнтон Зайцев, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)
Florida Soccer Report 