Lionel Messi after his goal for Inter Miami against Cruz Azul, July 21, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale (Florida). STACY REVERE / AFP
And time stopped in the 94th minute of the match between Inter Miami and the Mexicans of Cruz Azul, Friday July 21 in Fort Lauderdale (Florida). Lionel Messi had just dropped the ball from a free kick, thanks to his legendary left paw, in the opposing skylight to offer victory (2-1) to his new club, for his first steps in the pink jersey of the American franchise.
The star rookie of the offseason, new ambassador of “soccer” in the United States, could jubilate and start a sort of lap of honor to the cheers of an ecstatic public, the match ending on this magic trick of which the Argentine has the secret.
And yet Lionel Messi, substitute at kick-off, had to wait before making his first appearance. Fans were stamping their feet, asking « Messi! Messi! » from the 20th minute of play. The Argentinian star was exulted on the bench when Robert Taylor opened the scoring for the locals with a shot deflected into the goal by the post, before the break (1-0, 44th).
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Under the eyes of LeBron James, Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian
It was later, in the 54th minute, that the world champion – who found the number 10 on his club jersey after two seasons flocked with the 30 at Paris Saint-Germain – was able to take his first official strides in the United States, to a standing ovation from the public. The stars LeBron James, Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian did not fail to immortalize the moment with their smartphones. Sergio Busquets, Messi’s former teammate at FC Barcelona, took advantage of the same stoppage to also make his debut with Miami.
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But everything was not perfect before his moment of grace for the former PSG and Barça player, who watched helplessly as Cruz Azul returned, thanks to Antuna’s goal (1-1, 65th).
Then the Argentinian, who always calculates his efforts, often tried to combine with his partners, notably offering beautiful passes through. Minutes after a clean-scoring chance where he preferred to give an offside ball than take a chance, Messi was pushed around and collected an ideal free-kick just meters from the edge of the box.
“What I watched is the goalexplained Messi after the match at 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 get this victory, it’s a new tournament, it will give us confidence for the future. »
Tickets at record prices
“To be honest, as soon as I saw the free kick awarded, I thought that was how it had to end”, explained for his part the owner of the club, David Beckham, all smiles after the jewel of Messi. ” It’s very exciting tonight for our supporters. All these people who come here to see Leo enter the pitch, not to mention what he has done (…) It’s a dream come true for everyone who is in this stadium”he added.
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With a series of eleven games without a win, the arrival of the Argentine has reinvigorated the enthusiasm of Miami fans. Thousands of pink flags with Messi and his number 10 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 (about 145 euros) on the specialized site Vividseats. The most expensive were over $8,800, a record for this competition. Inter Miami will face Atlanta on Tuesday in this already unforgettable Leagues Cup.
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