Lionel Messi Return: Lionel Messi returned to action for the first time since his father, Jorge Messi’s, death. The Argentine star came off the bench in the second half for Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match against Leon. Marking his first on-field appearance since the unfortunate passing of his father, who was also his agent, Messi received lot of love and was surrounded by loud applause as he made his way to the field. A late goal meant that Inter Miami went down 2-3 at full time.
Lionel Messi Returns For Inter Miami Amid Retirement Speculations
Argentina’s star Lionel Messi stepped out on the field after the death of his father, Jorge Messi, and amidst talk about a possible end to his football career. Messi came to the field in the second half of Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup Match against Leon to make his first appearance since the death of his father, Jorge.
Messi’s father, who died aged just 68 in his hometown of Rosario on Saturday, was instrumental in his son’s success. He was also one of his son’s agents. Although playing at Inter Miami, Messi lost the Leagues Cup game to Leon after conceding a late goal, 2-3.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami Knocked Out of Leagues Cup
Messi’s return could not stop Inter Miami from getting knocked out of the tournament. Inter Miami took the lead at the 54-minute mark, but then Leon turned the tables with a big fightback. Daniel Arcila got two goals for Leon, including the key goal in the 83rd minute, and Juan Pablo Dominguez scored the second goal in the 61st minute to level the score. Arcila got his second goal later on in the game to finally give Leon an all-encompassing victory.
Daniel Pinter and Yannick Bright scored for Inter Miami, but their two goals were not sufficient to give their side a win. Messi, who is back after attending his father’s funeral, came on in the second half. Still, he struggled to show any great influence. Meanwhile, Los Angeles FC completed their second-half comeback and ended Miami’s Leagues Cup campaign.
Lionel Messi’s Heartfelt Note For Father Jorge Messi
On Wednesday, August 12, before the game, Lionel Messi, the captain of the Argentina national football team, gave a heartfelt homage to his late father, Jorge Messi, who passed away last week.
In his note, Messi said, “Dad, you kept asking me to play in one last World Cup… just days before it began was when your condition got worse. It was the first time you weren’t going to be there with me at the tournament… but Mom kept telling me you were going to get better and that you’d be well enough to travel. I kept telling you we were going to reach the World Cup final so you could make the trip, this was my mission once again. After every match, I waited for and missed your message. That’s when I realized how serious the situation really was. I couldn’t stop thinking about going as far as possible, giving you more time and the chance to watch one of the games. We reached the final, but you couldn’t be there. I wanted to win it so I could bring the trophy to you and show you another one. I couldn’t.”
Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Pay Emotional Tribute to Lionel Messi’s Father, Posts ‘A Huge Hug to You’
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
