Ariel Lassiter hits back at false rumour over Lionel Messi's shirt number at Inter Miami

Ariel Lassiter has responded to fake rumours suggesting his contract was terminated at Inter Miami because he wouldn’t give up the number 10 shirt for Lionel Messi.

The 28-year-old Costa Rica international, who scored four goals in 31 appearances for Inter Miami last season, recently left the Florida-based club to join fellow MLS outfit CF Montreal.

Montreal announced the acquisition of midfielder Bryce Duke and winger Lassiter in April, confirming a deal that involved defender Kamal Miller and $1.3 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) in 2023.

But two months later, following the much-talked about arrival of Lionel Messi, a rumour online suggested Lassiter's contract at the DRV PNK Stadium was terminated.

The following tweet, accompanied by pictures of Lassiter and Messi, went viral this week. "Apparently this guy didn't want to give away his number 10 shirt to Messi so the club terminated his contract."

After the post received over 50,000 likes, Lassiter shut down the false reports with the following reply: "Guys I was #11 but I’ll sacrifice so others can enjoy the greatness."

Twitter Community Notes soon gave readers 'added context they thought people might want to know.'

The post read: "This player is Ariel Lassiter. He wore number 11 for Inter Miami until his transfer to CF Montreal in April 2023. He never wore the number 10 shirt for Inter Miami."

After much speculation surrounding his future, Messi snubbed an offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal worth £434m per season to join Inter Miami, who are partly owned by David Beckham.

It is believed the deal involves contributions from two of Major League Soccer's biggest commercial partners – Apple TV, their current broadcast rights holder – and Adidas, the league's apparel sponsor.

Adidas is also said to be offering Messi a profit-sharing agreement, which would involve the player receiving a cut of any increase in Adidas' profits resulting from his involvement in MLS.

Messi, who already owns a house in Miami, will likely play his first game for the club on July 21 in a Leagues Cup match against Mexican side Cruz Azul.

Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas has recently lauded the arrival of Messi.

"I think there will always be a 'before and after Messi' when we talk about the sport in the United States," he told reporters via ESPN.

"I cannot overemphasise the magnitude of this announcement. Having the world's greatest player here is something that is significant for our league, and for the football ecosystem in the United States. Lionel Messi is coming to this country to win cups and make a difference.

"I think it's incumbent upon myself and my partners in the league, the other owners, to seize the moment."