First game, first goal, first victory. At the dawn of his adventure with Inter Miami, the Argentinian Lionel Messi, first substitute, changed the course of the match by scoring the victorious goal for his team (2-1) in the Leagues Cup, against the Mexican formation of Cruz Azul.
First on the bench, red chasuble on his back, Messi had to wait before making his first appearance. Fans stampeded their feet, clamoring for their “Messi!” Messi!” from the 20th minute of the game. The Argentine star was exulted when Robert Taylor opened the scoring for the locals with a shot deflected into the goal by the post, before the break (44th). It was later, in the 54th minute, that the former Paris Saint Germain and FC Barcelona player put on his pink jersey to come into play to a standing ovation from the public. Sergio Busquets took advantage of the same stoppage of play to also make his debut with Miami.
Already wearing the captain’s armband, Messi watched helplessly as Cruz Azul returned, thanks to Antuna’s goal (65th). Then the Argentinian tried a lot, often succeeded before being decisive. Jostled in the 94th minute, Messi harvests an ideal free kick … which he will send into the top corner to close this first luminous appearance. “What I watched is the goal,” he then confided to the microphone of Apple TV. “I knew I had to score, it was the last action of the match. I wanted to score so that we didn’t go to penalties afterwards. It was very important for us to obtain this victory, it’s a new tournament, it will give us confidence for the future. David Beckham’s franchise had not, until then, won a single game for eleven matches.
A success in the last minutes that capsized the Fort Lauderdale stadium with happiness. A joy that was already present several hours before kick-off. Thousands of pink flags with Messi and his number ten depicted on them had been distributed around the stadium. A small gift that modestly offset the hundreds of dollars spent to attend the meeting. The cheapest tickets available for resale on Friday morning were displayed at 160 dollars on the specialized site Vividseats. The most expensive exceeded 8,800 dollars, a record for this competition. The price to pay to see the one who entered the pantheon of football, and sport in general, during his lifetime.
Proof of the enthusiasm aroused by the iconic player, world stars had made the trip to Fort Lauderdale… We were able to see NBA player LeBron James take a selfie with club president David Beckham. Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian, front row, holding out their smartphones as the Argentinian star pulled up his socks before stepping onto the pitch.
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Messi and Busquets, entering together, discovered North American football, its intensity, its inaccuracies too. Experience, technique, game vision, the two players seem able to bring a lot to the Florida club, dead last in Major League Soccer (MLS) this season. Provided you are physically able to start the meetings soon. “Whatever their level, whatever their status, (Leo Messi) and Sergio Busquets will need time to adapt,” David Beckham said before getting carried away: “They may surprise us, we may win all the matches, but we have to be patient.”
The adventure continues on Tuesday in this Leagues Cup for Inter Miami, who will face Atlanta, perhaps with newcomer Jordi Alba. Created in 2019, this competition brings together twenty-nine teams from MLS and eighteen others from the Mexican first division. Formations divided into fifteen groups of three clubs. After two matches, the first two are qualified for the round of 16 and then begins a knockout phase. Cruz Azul was the first winner, the defending champion is Club Leon.
