Jacob Shaffelburg, the athletics promise who soured Messi’s debut with Inter Miami in the Concachampions

Despite putting in a high-level performance, including a goal, the presentation of Lionel Messiand he InterMiami for Concachampions they had the master of the match on the opposing side: the sprinter Jacob Shaffelburg. Apart from this The Herons they ruined the party Nashville scoring the draw at the end of the hand of Luis Suarezthe Canadian striker was the author of two stellar conquests that left all the spectators speechless.

The curiosity of his playing style was focused on the speed he printed on each shot. But you only have to review your resume to find an answer.

To the 24 years, Shaffelburg is one of the undisputed figures of Nashville, one of the most competitive teams in American football. And his coach Gary Smith knows how to make the most of the qualities of his spicy left winger.

Jacob’s athletic abilities They combine perfectly with great skill with the ball under their feet. He said it clearly just three minutes into the match: he scored the 1-0 with a lethal left-footed shot. Then, in the 1st minute of the second half, he once again shocked Messi and his teammates with a right-footed shot from outside the area that went into a corner.

Even in the midst of his goals, he caused such an imbalance in the flank that he was on the verge of the Argentine Federico Redondoon his debut with Inter Miami, he saw the red card when he elbowed him as a tool to stop Nashville’s attack.

Automatically, the question that more than one spectator asked while watching the match was; Who is this player who drives Inter Miami’s defense crazy? However, Internet searches did not clarify the athlete’s secret.

Jacob can be considered as a strange within the beautiful sport if we retrace the career that led him to win the MVP award in a match in which he shared the pitch with Messi. Although he is at the age of an experienced player, unlike many players who take their first steps in the youth team at a young age, Shaffelburg’s relationship with football began just five years ago.

Yes, the Canadian who caught the flashes of the first leg of the round of 16 of the Concachampions He joined his first team in 2018. He did it in his university club, TFC Academy. There he only needed a year and a half of experience Toronto FC he noticed it and decided to hire him.

However, Shaffelburg’s relationship with sports dates back to his childhood. He had dedicated his entire life to athletics, where he became champion. However, for a period he combined it with football, his other passion. And finally, he turned to his love for the ball when he had to choose in which sport he would develop his professional career.

The countless competitions and trials he competed in in his youth are an advantage of the attacker. From there you can explain the speed and endurance that Jacob squeezes into every game with Nashville. And it was this Wednesday evening when those led by Gerardo Nanny Martino suffered it.

In keeping with his athletic qualities, Jacob’s career advanced at high speed. The 18 months spent at amateur level were proof enough to adapt to professional football. His performance in MLS was exceptional from the first minute.

He became a key piece in helping his team reach the final of the MLS Cup and the Canadian Championship. And with only one season as a professional, It would have been mid-2020 when Jacob received the first call-up to participate in the call-up of your national team.

Likewise, the attacker was not part of the squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, although everything indicates that he will be present in 2026. He has already played seven matches for Canadaone of the venues for the next edition of the World Cup, and is positioned as one of his nation’s most destabilizing attackers.

At the end of 2022 Shaffelburg left Toronto to land in Nashville and become a key piece of the entire state of Tennessee. Perhaps it is no coincidence that when Lucho Suárez’s equalizer arrived, Jacob had already left the field.

However, no one will take away from his CV the milestone of being named protagonist of an international match against a certain Lionel Messi and other stars of the world of football. Next Wednesday they will meet again for the return match, where the MVP award, surprisingly, will no longer have the Argentine star as the only candidate.