Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami Return After Father’s Death Inspires Emotional Outpouring

Just days after his father, Jorge Messi, passed away, Lionel Messi was back on the pitch for Inter Miami, having returned to the MLS club after a quick trip to Argentina for the funeral.

He made his way into an eventual 3–2 Leagues Cup loss to Club León off the bench in the 46th minute and offered an inspiring effort, despite being unable to lead his team to victory. With the loss, Miami were knocked out of the Leagues Cup, after previously losing to CF Monterrey while Messi mourned the immediate loss of his father.

Emotions overflowed from the stands at Nu Stadium as Messi came on to a grand ovation, and it wasn’t lost on his teammates how much of a challenge it was for him to be in a game for the first time since losing such an important figure in his life.

Messi was as energetic as ever through his 45 minutes, creating four scoring chances and putting three shots on target. Mere hours after sharing that he had “serious doubts” about his future playing without his father watching in an emotional social media post, he showed the world just how good he can still be, in his third game since losing the World Cup final with Argentina less than a month ago.

We missed you, Messi.

Welcome back. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/WE83EqfBx4
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 13, 2026

“It’s incredible, I wasn’t expecting [Messi to play],” said Miami’s lone representative at the 2026 MLS All-Star Game, Yannick Bright, who scored in the match. “It shows how much he cares. When I saw he was here, all I was thinking about was to give my 150% 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 superstar Casemiro, who spent plenty of his career dueling with Messi during his time with Real Madrid, added: “He is an example for all of us because he is going through a very difficult stage, but he had a commitment with not only his teammates but with the club and that’s incredible.

“I had never seen that in my life. All we can do is thank him for being here. We know he is a very important player, and the commitment he has with us and the club can only be applauded. We have to keep helping him and his family.”

A smile and a hug for Messi 🩷

Jhohan Romaña with a lovely gesture 🫂

(Via @LeaguesCup) pic.twitter.com/ijg7U9aBP1
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 13, 2026

Embraced by his teammates after the game, León players also shared their condolences with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, with Colombian defender Jhohan Romaña hugging Messi after stopping him on a dribble.

“He is a player that, as far as I can tell, is the best player in history,” said León 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... today he demonstrated once more what he’s made of. He is a human being that is different to the rest.”

Miami to Refocus After Leagues Cup

Lionel Messi, center, and Inter Miami are ready to chase another Supporters' Shield. | Megan Briggs/Getty Images

For the first time since Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, the club will not play knockout stage games in the Leagues Cup tournament. Instead, the Herons bow out in Phase One with losses to CF Monterrey and León, and will refocus their attention on the Supporters’ Shield race, chasing the MLS regular season title they previously won in 2024.

They won’t have time to wait around either, with this weekend’s clash against current Supporters’ Shield leaders Nashville SC—also the team that eliminated Miami from the Concacaf Champions Cup earlier in 2026—providing a chance to take a massive advantage in the regular season title race.

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