Inter Miami midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro addressed his rumored departure from the team on Wednesday morning, sounding off on Major League Soccer’s trade policy.

His comments come just weeks before the arrival of Argentine legend Lionel Messi. Messi’s arrival will require Miami to shed at least one of the club’s Designated Players, a mechanism MLS uses that allows to minimize the impact a high-dollar player has on a particular team’s strict salary cap. 

Pizarro, a 29-year-old Mexican international, has been viewed by many as that person. He is currently Miami’s highest-paid player, making some $3.35 million a year, but he’s disappointed during his three-year stay in MLS.

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In 12 starts this year, Pizarro has no goals and a single assist. He spent the entirety of the club’s 2022 campaign on loan with Liga MX side Monterrey, where he was similarly underwhelming. 

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Pizarro spoke of the difficulty surrounding his situation. 

“I do think it’s hard,” said Pizarro. “I have a contract — I didn’t know I could be traded anyways. It’s a bit strange … I think it’s the only league in the world that does this.”

Miami announced the appointment of Tata Martino as its head coach last week. Martino and Pizarro are familiar with each other; Martino was Pizarro’s coach with the Mexican national team in recent years. The Argentine is in Miami awaiting a work visa, which has limited his interaction with his players.

“I could only say hello to him,” said Pizarro. “He still can’t really work with us closely. He’s a coach whose career speaks for itself. He’s a great coach and he’s always given me confidence … But I haven’t been able to speak with him yet (at length.)” 

Martino himself addressed Pizarro’s situation during his introductory press conference.

“We know about his situation,” said Martino. “There’s the (sporting) part of things, and then there are questions that have to do distinctly with the club’s leadership, in terms of his future. In this case, it isn’t something that will end up being resolved for (sporting) reasons.” 

Pizarro is in the final year of his contract with Miami. The club has several options with how to handle his future: they could buy the remainder of his contract out, or they could potentially trade him to another MLS club. Pizarro has been linked recently to a potential move to the LA Galaxy, who are currently struggling under an international transfer ban. 

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