Brecht Dejaegere, now a player for KV Kortrijk, played last season at FC Charlotte in MLS. During his time in the United States, the midfielder has noticed how the craze for football is growing, especially in view of the 2026 World Cup to be held in North America.
“You already feel the excitement for the World Cup, and the arrival of Lionel Messi in Miami played a big role in that,” Brecht Dejaegere told the RTBF, this weekend. In Charlotte, one of the American cities which will host matches, the average attendance at championship matches is 34,000 supporters.
However, the 33-year-old noticed that many MLS players still have tactical gaps and are not playing at European level. In Charlotte, Dejaegere observed how sports play a major role in American culture. “In the United States, people are often considered obese, but in Charlotte, everyone plays sports in the parks.”
“The city also has strong teams in all four major sports: NBA, NFL, MLS and baseball.” Charlotte FC even shares a stadium with the American football team, the Carolina Panthers, which has sometimes created some amusing situations. “We had to play once while the American football lines were still visible!”
The nice moment between Brecht Dejaegere and Lionel Messi in the United States
One of the highlights of his time in MLS was meeting Lionel Messi during a match against Inter Miami. After the final whistle, Dejaegere approached the Argentine star. “I asked him if he felt better in Miami than in France. He was surprised, and I told him that I had already played against him with Toulouse in Ligue 1, but he didn’t remember me .”
During their conversation, Messi was candid about his time at Paris Saint-Germain. “He told me it was ‘shit’ at PSG,” Dejaegere laughed. Messi explained that although he was well received at first, criticism of him increased after the failure of the Champions League campaign. “He was whistled for every contact with the ball and had had enough.”
Even though he committed a few fouls on Messi during the match, Dejaegere hesitated to ask him for his jersey after the match. “Everyone wants their jersey, so I didn’t dare ask for it,” he admits. However, Dejaegere still left delighted, as he received the jersey from Sergio Busquets, who even asked for his jersey in return himself.
