By Opeyemi Adelakun
Lionel Messi made an emotional return to the pitch on Wednesday following the death of his father, Jorge Messi, but his comeback could not prevent Inter Miami from crashing out of the Leagues Cup after a 3-2 defeat to Mexican side León.
Messi, who had travelled to Argentina for his father’s funeral, returned to Florida on Tuesday night and was introduced at half-time during the decisive group-stage encounter.
The 39-year-old received a warm reception from the home supporters as he stepped onto the pitch, but León held on to secure a comeback victory and become the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Messi’s return came shortly after he paid an emotional tribute to his father, who died last week at the age of 68.
In a social media post on Wednesday morning, the Inter Miami captain opened up about his grief and admitted that his father’s death had left him questioning his future in football.
“I don’t know what I’ll do without you, I don’t know how to go on,” Messi wrote.
“I just played football, and now I have serious doubts about continuing to do so for much longer.”
Messi had missed Inter Miami’s previous match against Monterrey on Saturday but made himself available for the must-win encounter against León.
Inter Miami initially took the lead, with Yannick Bright among the scorers, but León turned the game around through two goals from Colombian forward Daniel Arcila before completing the 3-2 victory.
Bright described Messi’s decision to return so soon after his father’s funeral as “incredible”, saying the team wanted to support their captain during a difficult period.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” Bright said. “It shows how much he cares. When I saw he was here, all I was thinking about was to give my 150 percent for him.”
“It’s a tough situation. We try to stay close to him and support him as much as we can, but it’s a lot.”
Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who joined Inter Miami after the World Cup, also praised Messi’s commitment, describing him as “an example for all of us” given the circumstances surrounding his return.
León coach Javier Gandolfi similarly expressed admiration for the Argentine.
“Today he demonstrated once more what he’s made of,” Gandolfi said. “He is a human being that is different to the rest.”
The defeat marked a disappointing end to Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup campaign, with the club eliminated in the opening phase for the first time since the tournament was expanded in 2023.
Inter Miami won the competition in 2023 shortly after Messi joined the club, alongside former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
The Florida side also reached the final in 2025 but lost 3-0 to Seattle Sounders, with the post-match confrontation resulting in Luis Suárez being suspended for this year’s tournament.
Leave a Reply