When Lionel Messi fixed the dead ball deep in stoppage time, David Beckham already had a hunch in the stands. “I knew that’s how this game should end,” the Inter Miami co-owner later said with a smile.
Because Beckham was right: Messi ran for a free kick, put the ball in the corner from 22 meters – and put the 20,000 fans in Fort Lauderdale in ecstasy.
“We wanted to start that way and give the people a win here,” said Messi after his cinematic debut in the Miami jersey.
His dream goal was a 2-1 win over Mexican club Cruz Azul in the group stage of the Leagues Cup – a cup competition for 47 clubs from the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Messi happy about successful Miami debut
No wonder the fans freaked out: some ran onto the pitch after the goal and had to be stopped by security forces, behind the goal supporters set off smoke bombs in Miami’s club color pink.
A smile spread across Beckham’s face in the stands, and not far from him, basketball legend LeBron James, TV star Kim Kardashian and tennis player Serena Williams applauded enthusiastically.
In the league Miami is bottom of the table after eleven games without a win, but now everything should get better – with Messi Inter hopes to catch up.
The start in the cup against the eight-time champions from Mexico was a success. “We knew it was very important to start well. Luckily we managed to do that, I’m very happy,” said Messi.
Even in front of his goal, the 36-year-old proved that he’s far from being on the scrap heap. Until then, however, patience was required, also from the fans, who had come in large numbers in Miami and Argentina jerseys with the number 10.
Beckham: “What a moment for this league”
Because Messi was initially on the bench with his family a week after the Caribbean vacation. When Miami then conceded an equalizer in the 54th minute shortly after Messi’s substitution, there was little to suggest a debut made for the cinema.
But the Hollywood end was yet to come. Messi and Sergio Busquets, who was also brought on and substituted at the same time, understood each other blindly, as they did at FC Barcelona.
Every touch of Messi’s ball was greeted with a murmur and the tension erupted in the fourth minute of added time.
“What a moment for this country, what a moment for this league,” said Beckham. The MLS promptly tweeted: “Lionel Andres Messi is not human” – in capital letters, of course.
And it goes straight on: The home cup game against Atlanta United is already waiting for Messi and Co. on Tuesday. There is hardly any time to take a deep breath.
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