{"id":370078,"date":"2026-08-13T06:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T06:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/370078\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T06:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T06:02:09","slug":"lionel-messi-makes-emotional-return-to-inter-miami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/370078\/","title":{"rendered":"Lionel Messi makes emotional return to Inter Miami"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Herons’ superstar No. 10 returned to his hometown of Rosario, Argentina to lay his father, Jorge Messi, to rest on Sunday in a private ceremony.\u00a0He then took to social media on Wednesday, posting an emotional tribute<\/a> to his dad before returning to Miami and appearing as a substitute in their 3-2 loss<\/a> to Club Le\u00f3n in their final Leagues Cup<\/a> Phase One match.<\/p>\n

It has been an emotional few weeks for Messi, who is also less than a month removed from leading Argentina to a second consecutive FIFA World Cup<\/a> final, just as he told his father he would.<\/p>\n

\n Embracing Messi<\/p>\n

The soccer world took to social media on Saturday to send their condolences to Messi, including former teammates Sergio Ag\u00fcero, Neymar Jr. and more.<\/p>\n

At Inter Miami, the team is also rallying behind their captain.<\/p>\n

“I’ve always said that this is a very painful thing and it takes sometimes a long time,” said Miami head coach Guillermo Hoyos. “When I lost my father, it was hard. He was my guide. I needed him in many cases and I felt alone.<\/p>\n

“It’s a big blow in a man’s life, for an extraordinary man and an extraordinary family. So it’s a very painful thing.”<\/p>\n

Even his opponents on the night couldn’t help but share their praise.<\/p>\n

“He is a player that as far as I can tell, is the best player in history,” said Le\u00f3n head coach Javier Gandolfi. “He’s the best player in history, inside the pitch, and also with some other actions I would see at a distance.<\/p>\n

“Today he demonstrated once more what he’s made of. He is a human being that is different to the rest.”<\/p>\n

\n Miami eliminated<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for Inter Miami, they were not able to find a victory in Messi’s return, marking their elimination from Leagues Cup as Club Le\u00f3n secured advancement to the tournament quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

Miami will now shift their attention to regular season play, where they must prepare for a top-of-the-table clash against Eastern Conference leaders Nashville SC<\/a> on Saturday night (8:30 pm ET | Apple TV<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The winner of that match will take the Supporters’ Shield lead.<\/p>\n