Lionel Messi made an emotional return to action on Wednesday following the death of his father, but his comeback could not prevent Inter Miami from crashing out of the Leagues Cup after a 3-2 defeat to Mexico’s Leon.
The Miami captain flew back to Florida from Argentina on Tuesday night after attending his father Jorge’s funeral on Sunday. He came on at half-time to a huge ovation from the home crowd.
Jorge, who had also served as his son’s agent, died last week at the age of 68.
Earlier on Wednesday, Messi paid an emotional tribute to his father on social media and hinted that he was considering 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’s return provided an emotional boost for Miami, who had taken a 1-0 lead, but two goals from Colombian forward Daniel Arcila helped Leon complete a comeback and become the first team to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament, which pits clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS) against Mexico’s Liga MX.
Messi had made himself available to Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos for the must-win final group match after missing Saturday’s defeat by Monterrey.
Yannick Bright, who scored one of Miami’s goals, described Messi’s return as “incredible” and said 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 teammate Casemiro, who joined Miami after the World Cup, praised Messi’s commitment to the team despite his personal loss, calling him “an example for all of us.”
Leon coach Javier Gandolfi also praised the Argentine superstar.
“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 the first time Miami have been eliminated in the opening phase of the Leagues Cup since the tournament was expanded in 2023.
Miami won the inaugural expanded edition that year, with Messi lifting the trophy shortly after joining the Florida club alongside former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Miami reached the final again in 2025 but suffered a 3-0 defeat to the Seattle Sounders. The match was followed by a post-match brawl that resulted in Luis Suarez being suspended for the entirety of this year’s tournament.
AFP
