Lionel Messi waved his magic wand on Sunday, August 27, 2023, as he rolled back the years to help Inter Miami secure a 2-0 victory over New York Red Bulls in his Major League Soccer debut.
Messi scored a brilliant goal in the 89th minute, creating space for himself in the box, before providing a pass to teammate Benjamin Cremaschi.
Cremaschi released a nice square play to Lionel Messi, with the Argentine left to tap the ball home from 6 yards.
Inter Miami have now gone 9 games without a defeat, and this has been the case since the arrival of Messi.
Diego Gomez scored the opener for Tata Martino’s side to take them into the lead at the Red Bull Arena.
In Messi’s MLS debut, he was introduced in the 60th minute of proceedings, replacing Leonardo Campana.
Lionel Messi Major league Soccer Debut
In what turned out to be a heroic Major League Soccer debut for the Argentine great, he extended his goal tally to 11 goals from 8 matches.
Inter Miami are 11 points away from Championship playoff positions in the Eastern Conference and they will be banking on the brilliance of Lionel Messi to guide them there.
Chicago Fire, who sit 9th, currently occupy the last playoff spots with 32 points, while Inter Miami sit 14th with 21 points.
The honeymoon of Lionel Messi in America looks to be hitting no bricks yet, as the Herons have continued to produce brilliance with the Argentine.
In 9 games played for Inter Miami, the 36-year-old has only failed to score in just one game and that was in their U.S Open Cup encounter against Cincinnati which ended 3-3.
However, despite not scoring in that encounter, he demonstrated his leadership and brilliance on the pitch of play.
Lionel Messi has his sights on another trophy with Inter Miami, having led the club to glory in the Leagues Cup final.
They defeated Nashville on penalties, after playing out 1-1 in normal time, anyway, 4 days later, Tata Martino’s side also booked their place in the final of the U.S Open Cup.
The final of the U.S. Open Cup will be played on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, and Inter Miami will battle Houston Dynamo FC.
Meanwhile, after their victory against New York Red Bulls in their return to action in Major League Soccer, they will lock horns with League Cup finalist Nashville SC on Thursday, August 31, 2023.
Will Messi’s Inter Miami be able to cross the hurdle of Los Angeles FC unscathed?
After the game against Nashville SC in the MLS, they face a tricky tie against Los Angeles FC, and it is an encounter that many are looking forward to.
Los Angeles FC sit 2nd in the MLS Western Conference and it will be interesting to see how Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami crosses that hurdle.
Many individuals are already predicting that the encounter might see Messi taste defeat in the colors of Inter Miami.
However, if there is one thing that is known in football, it is the monstrous impact and influence of Lionel Messi and we never can tell what magic he would produce on September 4, 2023.
Antonela Roccuzzo mistook Jordi Alba for Lionel Messi
Meanwhile, a viral clip has circulated which showed Lionel Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo mistaking her husband’s teammate Jordi Alba for her lover.
In the video which has generated mixed reactions, Antonela could be seen hugging Alba as she possibly thought it was her husband, Lionel Messi.
The incident happened after Inter Miami defeated Nashville SC on penalties to win the Leagues Cup and Antonela Roccuzzo entered the pitch to celebrate with Messi.
Anyway, some fans have expressed that she mistook Jordi Alba for Lionel Messi and that’s why she attempted to hug him.
In a hilarious interaction, Antonela moved to Alba with her arms stretched out to embrace the Spaniard.
However, the Argentine model realised seconds later that it was not her husband, but teammate Jordi Alba.
Alba joined Inter Miami on July 20, 2023, after leaving Barcelona at the end of the 2022/23 season, joining teammates Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets in Miami.
