women’s team opened its World Cup title defense in New Zealand against Vietnam. Messi making his first Major League Soccer appearance while, on the other side of the globe, the U.S. No matter what, it was a massive night for soccer in the U.S. “INCREDIBLE,” James tweeted, with a goat emoji for emphasis. And after the goal, James acknowledged the greatness. James - who knows a thing or two about making a highly celebrated move to Miami, after he joined the Heat in 2010 and won his first two NBA titles in a four-year stay - greeted Messi with a long embrace as the teams took the field. “He’s so excited to see Messi,” Kardashian said.Įveryone was. Music legends Gloria and Emilio Estefan showed up, as did Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and Kim Kardashian arrived saying one of her sons had a particular reason why he had to attend. It was a gathering of GOATs at Messi’s debut match: LeBron James and Serena Williams were there - like Messi in soccer, they’re in the conversation of “greatest of all time” when it comes to the NBA and tennis. “It looks absolutely normal, but it’s not. “It’s common for him, you know,” Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said. But the final act belonged to Messi, a storybook ending if there ever was one. Messi leaped from his seat, threw his hands in the air, applauded several times and broke into a wide smile.Ĭruz Azul tied the game shortly after Messi checked in and had plenty of chances to take a late lead. The first Inter Miami goal of the Messi era was scored by Robert Taylor, who took a long cross from Robbie Robinson, moved into the box and sent a low drive off the inside of the far post and into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead late in the first half. “It was the last play of the game and I wanted to score so I didn’t go to penalties,” Messi said. Had he missed the free kick, the game would have gone to a penalty shootout. He hugged the player he was replacing, midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi, then trotted onto the field as the estimated crowd of 21,000 all seemed to be standing, almost all of them with phones out to chronicle the moment. Messi checked in early in the second half with Inter Miami leading 1-0. The wait was officially on: When was Messi coming in? He resumed warmups while the second half was getting under way, jogging around behind the end line near Miami’s supporter section, and fans roared in delight when he gave them a wave.Īnd about eight minutes into the second half, the answer: It was Messi time. That’s when the fans, finally, could put their phones down and take a breath. He warmed up for about 5 minutes during intermission with the other reserves before they all left for the locker room. Nobody even left their seats when the halftime whistle blew. “Worth it,” Beckham said earlier in the week. It took Inter Miami four years of planning and two years of actual pursuing to bring Messi to the club. Some Cruz Azul players stood in silence and just watched they’ll have a story to tell, too, about how it took an incredible Messi moment to defeat them. The team’s owners - David Beckham, Jorge Mas and Jose Mas - were waiting as he left the pitch Jorge Mas planted a kiss onto the superstar’s sweat-coated cheek. He watched the ball sail into the net, something he’s done about 800 times before for club and country, then sprinted to the right corner of the field and leaped into the arms of teammates. Waved at them while he was actually in the game.Īnd if that wasn’t enough, he saved his best moment for the end. He waved at fans while he was seated on the bench. Fireworks shot into the night sky, and play resumed for roughly a minute before the referee’s whistle blew. The game’s greatest active player - a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and a World Cup champion - sent the ball over a wall of four Cruz Azul defenders for the winning goal, unquestionably the greatest moment in Inter Miami’s brief history.
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