From scholar to starter, Yannick Bright shines at Inter Miami, signs new contract
On an Inter Miami team stacked with world-famous players, Yannick Bright, an unheralded Italian midfielder and scholar making a team-low $80,000, emerged as a hero.
He was finally rewarded this week with a new contract through the 2028 season and an option for 2029. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources confirmed that Bright earned a substantial raise.
“It feels great, it’s a big relief from a mental point of view to secure such a deal,” Bright said Wednesday, as the team prepares to travel to Nashville this weekend for Game 2 in the best-of-3 playoff series. “Even living-wise, it was kind of a struggle before. So, hopefully, it will be much better now. I’m happy.”
When Bright was drafted out of the University of New Hampshire in 2024, nobody could have imagined that he would wind up playing alongside Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, and Jordi Alba. But he did, and his knack for interceptions, tackles and blocks made him an asset in the midfield.
He made 11 starts this season, has played 1,355 minutes and his 3.8 tackles per game ranks him in the 97th percentile among midfield MLS peers, per fbref.com. He also ranks in the 98th percentile for blocks.
Not bad for a young man who wasn’t even the best footballer in his family.
He was the scholar. His younger brother, Kevin, was the more natural athlete.
The siblings, who were born and raised in Milan, tried out for the AC Milan Primavera (youth academy). Kevin made it, played there several years and went on to play in the Italian third division. Bright was cut, crushed, and at one point considered hanging up his boots.
His father, a truck driver, urged Yannick to follow his passion via the U.S. college route, so he could get an education while playing the sport he loves.
“My Dad wanted to give me a better life than he had, so college soccer gave me the best opportunity and balance,” Bright told the Miami Herald last year. “It was perfect for me. It’s been quite the journey, coming here alone, not speaking the language, getting a degree and making a name for myself. But it’s still just the beginning of my story.”
Bright was a key player last season under previous coach Tata Martino and was off to a strong start this year with Javier Mascherano, but a hamstring injury sidelined him for five MLS games, all four Club World Cup games, and the opening Leagues Cup game.
With the high-profile summer signing of Rodrigo De Paul, who happens to be one of Messi’s closest friends and a teammate on Argentina’s national team, there were questions about how Bright would fit into the lineup.
He used every opportunity as a chance to prove he still belongs on the field. Bright prides himself on his defense, which is something valued highly by Mascherano, who also was known as a relentless defensive midfielder.
“I pride myself on winning duels and tackles, that’s what I try to do best,” Bright said.
University of New Hampshire coach Rich Weinrebe remembers the first time he saw Bright on a soccer field.
It was January 2020 at a college showcase for Italian prospects in Milan and Weinrebe, then an assistant coach, knew almost instantly he had stumbled upon a diamond in the rough.
“We were searching for a player like Yannick for about five years as a staff, and we couldn’t find anyone quite like him,” Weinrebe explained. “Then someone from YesWeCollege, a scouting company for Italian players, turned us onto him and sent us his video. They said, `You have to come see this guy.’ So, I flew over to Milan. It was a very small showcase, only five or six coaches there. So, I felt very happy about that.”
“Within five minutes, I called my former boss Marc Hubbard and said `We have to get this guy.’”
They offered him a scholarship on the spot. He accepted and went on to become one of the top college players and scholar-athletes in the nation.
In December 2023, Bright, a three-time All-American and two-time conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, graduated Cum Laude with a finance degree. That same month, Inter Miami selected the midfielder with the No. 15 pick in the 2024 MLS Draft.
“I feel like tackling is a bit of a lost art, and Yannick is an extremely good tackler and also covers a lot of ground,” Weinrebe said. “He has a sense for the game out of possession that is hard to find where he’s able to read the game, position himself in good areas, win the ball and then he has great ability to be able to play with both feet, play vertical balls forward, keep possession after he tackles and wins it. We were immediately drawn to him. His academics made him the complete package.”
Bright has evolved over two seasons with Inter Miami, and he credits Busquets for being an invaluable mentor. But he said his career is just getting started. He has big goals in mind.
“What’s nice about my story is that I was just a normal guy, I came to the U.S. just to study, and through hard work and resilience, I made it,” Bright replied, when asked why he thinks he has become a fan favorite. “So, if I did, anybody can. I’ve said it was God’s plan for me and everybody should always put in hard work and resilience.
“I wasn’t even supposed to play soccer, and I ended up getting a new deal with Inter Miami, playing with the best of the best. So, anything can happen.”
Inter Miami beat Nashville SC 3-1 last Friday in the opening game of the first-round playoff series. Game 2 is Saturday on the road at 7:30 p.m. (Apple TV MLS Season Pass). Game 3, if necessary, will be Nov. 8 in Fort Lauderdale.
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 4:12 PM.