Mexican star Rodolfo Pizarro is in town finalizing transfer to Inter Miami
Mexican national team star Rodolfo Pizarro landed in Miami on Thursday morning wearing a New York Yankees cap, and was greeted by Inter Miami team owner Jorge Mas, sporting director Paul McDonough, a couple of T.V. crews, and a police escort that led him through the airport.
He spent the rest of the day undergoing a physical and finalizing the paperwork for his transfer to Inter Miami.
“I want to write history with Inter Miami,” he told TUDN USA at the airport.
The team is expected to formally introduce the 25-year-old midfielder at practice in Ft. Lauderdale Friday morning. He will spend his 26th birthday on Saturday in St. Petersburg, where Inter Miami is playing its first public preseason game at 4 p.m. against the Philadelphia Union at Al Lang Stadium.
Although he is not as globally known as some of the Europe-based players who are still linked to the team, Pizarro becomes Inter Miami’s highest-profile player. He is the club’s second Designated Player, joining 19-year-old Argentine Matias Pellegrini, and the transfer reportedly cost $12 million.
Pizarro will be reunited with Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso, for whom Pizarro played with Monterrey and Pachuca in the Mexican league. He won Liga MX trophies with both clubs, and with Chivas, and has played 25 games with the Mexican national team.
He also won CONCACAF Champions League titles with Chivas and Monterrey, and played in the Club World Cup semifinals against Liverpool.
Inter Miami signs two players
Pizarro is the 28th player on the Inter Miami roster. The team also announced Thursday the signing of Colombian center back Andres Reyes on loan from Atletico Nacional and Bolivian defender Jairo Quinteros, who won’t count against the roster because he will go on loan to Bolivian team Bolivar for 2020. Inter Miami co-owner Marcelo Claure is president of Bolivar and said the club is “proud to bring him under our wing.”
Reyes, 20, made his senior debut with Atletico Nacional in 2018, and the team won the Copa Colombiana. He also has played for Colombia’s U-20 and U-23 teams.
“Andres is a sturdy defensive presence with a lot of potential,” said McDonough. “We continue adding a few more quality pieces to our roster during the final stretch of preseason, and believe believe in Andres we have a solid, quick and precise defender in the backline.”
Upon leaving Mexico, Pizarro told reporters that he felt coming to MLS will make it easier for him to some day reach his dream of playing in Europe. “It is easier going from there to Europe,” he said. “Seeing the quality of players they have in MLS should quiet the critics. Carlos Vela is there, who is one of the best Mexican players, or maybe the best at this moment. Chicharito is there, who is one of the best ever, and (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic played there.”
Inter Miami players are eager to welcome Pizarro to the squad.
Mexican-American midfielder Victor Ulloa has followed Pizarro closely over the years and is looking forward to playing alongside him.
“We know the kind of player he is, and obviously, me being Mexican, I started following him when he was with Chivas and Monterrey and he’s a national team player,” Ulloa said. “The quality he brings is absolutely unbelievable and the capacity he has to make those assists. We’re hoping he helps us big-time. He’s a different kind of player. He has some skills and sees things other players don’t see. And his work ethic. He’s very technical and can put it in the goal at any moment.”
Midfielder Wil Trapp said of Pizarro: “The first thing is undoubted quality. The second thing is his knowledge of Diego and his style, so there will be no lag time in terms of him integrating himself into the game model. Playing against him, seeing him on T.V., and watching him closely, his skill set is very unique. He is very productive and he will help this team immensely.”
Roman Torres, the veteran defender, is the captain of Panama’s national team. He has played against Pizarro many times and said he will be much happier having him as a teammate than an opponent.
“He is a player who will help the team a lot. He loves to play. He wins. He likes to ask for the ball. I has faced him many times with the national team and I know that he will add a lot to this team. We are a family, and he will be part of that family now.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 6:26 PM.