Messi’s teammate reveals his hidden obsession with winning everything

"He wants to win everything."

That is how Inter Miami forward Germán Berterame described Lionel Messi in a roundtable interview with reporters, including AS USA, ahead of the team's regular-season finale against Charlotte FC.

Berterame did not offer a generic teammate quote.

He offered a window into what it looks like when the greatest player in history walks into a locker room every day.

"Leo is a winner who wants to win every game, and that really rubs off on you," Berterame said.

Inter Miami has already secured its playoff spot.

The Herons clinched weeks ago and also qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup.

There is no do-or-die pressure on the final regular-season match.

But according to Berterame, that does not change how Messi approaches anything.

"What I've learned most from being alongside Leo is that he's a winner and wants to win all the time," Berterame said.

"That's what he strives for."

Messi, now 39, has won the World Cup, multiple Copa America titles, four Champions League trophies, and eight Ballon d'Or awards.

He has nothing left to prove.

Yet Berterame described a player who still treats every training session and every match as if the season depends on it.

"He's incredibly competitive and always wants to be first in everything," Berterame said.

That competitiveness, Berterame explained, is not reserved for game days.

It is a constant presence.

The forward acknowledged that the season is grueling.

Games come in quick succession.

Fatigue builds.

Conditions vary wildly — cold, heat, humidity, altitude.

"Not every game is the same, and every game presents challenges," Berterame said.

"There are so many different circumstances."

But Messi does not use those variables as excuses.

Berterame made clear that the Argentine star demands the same intensity regardless of the situation.

"Criticism will come," Berterame said.

He did not elaborate on who the criticism targets, but the implication was clear: in a long season, every team faces scrutiny.

Messi's response, according to Berterame, is to double down on the work.

Berterame also highlighted the broader atmosphere inside the Inter Miami squad.

He pointed to the influence of multiple veteran winners beyond Messi.

Luis Suárez, Messi's longtime friend and former Barcelona teammate, brings the same relentless mentality.

Casemiro, the Brazilian midfielder with five Champions League titles, adds another layer of championship experience.

"There's good energy, a lot of positivity, and we're surrounded by teammates who have won everything," Berterame said.

"That mentality rubs off on us."

Berterame described a locker room that is locked in.

"We're very focused and committed to what's coming," he said.

"We've been training as well as possible and are really excited about what lies ahead."

The forward made clear that the team understands what is expected.

"We have to give our all because they want to win, and that's what we're going to try to do," Berterame said.

The timing of these comments is deliberate.

Inter Miami is entering the MLS Cup playoffs.

With Messi and Suárez potentially playing together in what could be their last postseason run in Miami, the stakes are high.

Goal.com recently reported that rivals should beware of Messi entering "scary hours" in what might be his final dance with Suárez in MLS.

Berterame's interview reinforces that warning.

If the entire roster has absorbed Messi's win-everything mentality, Inter Miami becomes a dangerous playoff opponent.

The forward himself has been in strong form.

He credited much of his recent production to the environment Messi and the other veterans have created.

It is not just about tactics or skill.

It is about mindset.

Berterame's description of Messi matches what former teammates have said for years.

At Barcelona, PSG, and now Miami, the refrain is consistent: Messi hates losing more than he loves winning.

That distinction matters in a playoff format where one bad game ends the season.

Inter Miami's path to the MLS Cup will require navigating a single-elimination bracket.

Every match is sudden death.

A team that takes any game off goes home.

Berterame's words suggest this squad will not make that mistake.

"There's good energy, a lot of positivity," he said.

But the key line came earlier.