Carrying the profound grief of his father’s passing, Lionel Messi returned to the pitch, but even the superstar’s emotional comeback could not alter Inter Miami’s fortunes. The Florida club was eliminated from the Leagues Cup following a narrow 3–2 defeat to Mexican side León.
The Miami captain arrived back in Florida on Tuesday night after attending the funeral of his 68-year-old father and longtime agent, Jorge Messi, in Argentina. When the 39-year-old icon entered as a second-half substitute during Wednesday’s clash, the entire stadium rose to extend a standing ovation.
On the morning of the match, Messi posted a heartfelt message on social media honoring his father while expressing uncertainty regarding his footballing future: “I don’t know what I will do without you or how I will move forward. All I have ever done is play football, but now I am in deep doubt about how much longer I can keep going.”
Faced with a must-win scenario following an earlier loss to Monterrey, Messi chose to play at the request of Miami manager Guillermo Hoyos. Assembling a full-strength squad proved challenging due to Luis Suárez serving a suspension from an altercation in last year’s final. This marks the earliest exit for the former champions since the introduction of the new Leagues Cup format.
