"I could not be the player I wanted to be"
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — If Rodolfo Pizarro did not just play in his last game for Inter Miami, it seems that he soon will.
Pizarro gave a candid locker room interview inside of Drv Pnk Stadium on Tuesday night following Inter Miami’s 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew, and in it he talked about his uncertain future as well as his overall time with the South Florida side ahead of the start of MLS’s secondary transfer window on Wednesday.
The Mexican midfielder is likely on his way out at Inter Miami given the team’s need to free up Designated Player slots ahead of the incoming arrivals of Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets. Sources have told Miami Total Futbol that the LA Galaxy are a possible trade destination for Pizarro, who also has interest from Liga MX clubs, is in the final year of his contract, and whose days with Inter Miami are numbered regardless of where he ultimately ends up next.
“I did not even know that I could be traded while having a contract,” Pizarro said in Spanish. “It is weird and it has happened to many of my other former teammates, who are here one day and the next day they are not. It is a little weird. I think this is the only league in the world that does that.
“It is weird, but these are the rules and we have to abide by them.”
Pizarro, who was Inter Miami’s first Designated Player signing back in 2020 and the initial face of the franchise, also discussed his overall time with La Rosanegra. He talked about not living up to expectations, the difficulties he faced, and was also critical of former head coach Phil Neville.
The 29-year-old attacker played under Neville in 2021 and during the first half of this season prior to the Englishman’s firing last month. Pizarro was sent out on loan to Liga MX side Monterrey CF during the entire 2022 campaign.
“Sadly, a player can a lot of times be conditioned by the coach he has,” Pizarro said. “I think a lot of times that leaves a player to not play comfortably, to not play with freedom, to not play with joy and to not enjoy one’s soccer. It was the first time I had to follow so many (tactical instructions) and stay in just one static position without moving from one side to the other.
“I had not experienced that before. In the beginning, I enjoyed playing here a lot. Afterwards, it became very difficult for me and I could not be that player that I wanted to be and that club leadership was hoping for.”
If Pizarro does not play again for Inter Miami, he will finish his time with the Herons with 47 starts in 58 league appearances. He scored seven goals, including the first in team history, and dished out 13 assists in those matches.
His looming exit will roughly coincide with the arrival of new head coach Gerard ‘Tata’ Martino, who is awaiting visa clearance to begin managing and whom Pizarro previously played for on Mexico’s national team.
“Yes, honestly, I would have liked to have played under him (here),” Pizarro said. “More than that, I remain with a bitter taste in my mouth about not having been able to repay the confidence that the club’s owners gave me. Honestly, they put a lot of effort into having a good team, and sadly it never really went well for us.
“That is especially the case this year given that we built a good roster, but we could never repay that confidence that they gave us.”
What exactly the future holds for Pizarro may be unclear right now, but Inter Miami will have to continue to work hard at finding a solution. The team’s three DP slots are currently filled, and two have to be opened in order to officially make room for Messi and Busquets given the duo’s hefty salaries.
For Pizarro, that likely means the end to his topsy-turvy tenure in South Florida.
“I have six months left on my contract, so I do not know if I have to complete those six months here or not,” Pizarro said. “I was of the understanding that maybe they could send me to another MLS team, but that they could not cut me outright. I do not think they can cut me outright. I think they have to send me to another team.
“Honestly, I do not know the rules well and whether they will change now or not. I do not know if I will be on another MLS team or if I will go to Mexico or elsewhere.”
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