Lionel Messi scores in MLS debut, lifting Inter Miami over Cruz Azul
Messi delivered a stunner of a free kick in the 94th minute — a left-footed laser into the top left corner of the goal — to lift Miami to a 2-1 win over Liga MX’s Cruz Azul and send more than 19,000 into a rumbling state of soccer ecstasy.
“What I saw was the goal,” Messi told Apple TV through an interpreter. “I knew I had to score on the play of the game, and I had to score. I knew we didn’t want to go to penalties.”
Cruz Azul goalkeeper Andrés Gudiño had a clear view and went into a full stretch. He had no chance.
The game, part of a competition called the Leagues Cup, had no bearing on the MLS standings. Yet it somehow meant everything to the crowd. Messi did not disappoint.
In the parking lot, Julio Iglesias and his crew were sporting custom pink jerseys — Inter Miami’s colors — featuring an alligator holding a soccer ball and “Messias 305” scrawled over the creature’s head. “This is the name of our new Messi fan club,” Iglesias said. “We formed it as soon as we found out Messi was coming to play for Inter Miami.”
As of Friday night, Messias 305 had more than two dozen members. Iglesias said he expected the number to keep growing, and after Messi’s debut his club’s membership could skyrocket.
Messias 305 and a capacity crowd — including LeBron James, Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian — got what they came for, even if they had to wait until the second half for their hero to take the field in the 54th minute.
Most substitutions are announced in subdued tones, barely audible to fans. Not Friday’s. “Please welcome the world’s No. 10,” the PA system boomed, “And now, your No. 10 . . .”
A few moments later, Messi put on the captain’s armband.
Shortly after stepping on the field, his very first touch sprung Robert Taylor free. The run didn’t result in a goal, but the crowd lit up. Moments later, it was chanting Messi’s name.
His impact on the game was immediate, pushing back the Mexican team and sending defenders swarming to him, two or three at a time, leaving open attackers for the legend to pick out.
An Argentine living in Miami since 2020, Iglesias had no interest in watching Inter Miami until the greatest player in futbol brought his talents to South Florida. “Now we’re going to be here all the time,” Iglesias said. “Messi always comes to win. And we want to watch him win.”
In recent weeks, Messi mania has taken over the region, especially among roughly 150,000 Argentine expatriates such as Iglesias who are still riding high from the superstar leading their national team to a World Cup victory in December.
“Messi has revolutionized the game,” Iglesias said. “The best player in the world is here. Of course he’s going to draw people in.”
At 36, Messi joined a team with the worst record in MLS, but his star power is already paying off for the franchise partially owned by David Beckham, another international soccer hero who gave the American game a boost when he played for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Earlier this week, 20,000 turned out for Messi’s official team introduction despite having to endure a summer storm. Inter Miami’s Instagram account amassed more than 10 million new followers since Messi put his signature on a 2½-year contract worth $150 million that includes an equity interest in the team.
With his former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba suiting up for Inter Miami and Argentine coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino taking the reins, the franchise has been revitalized.
Gabriel Fuentes, a season ticket holder since 2019, mingled with friends near food and beverage booths outside the stadium Friday. Draped in a flag stamped with images of Messi and two other Inter Miami players, Fuentes was ecstatic about the squad’s chances of making the playoffs.
“I still think they are lacking in defense,” said Fuentes, who emigrated to Miami from Argentina 20 years ago. “At least now we can score some more goals. We’re going to get five to seven goals a game.”
Messi’s star power turned Friday’s match into an expensive ticket. On Friday morning, ticketing sites had midfield seats going for more than $1,000. The cheapest seats — in the back row of the sections behind the goal — were going for $209.
Andres Loredo, an Inter Miami fan of Chilean descent who moved to Miami in 2003, wore black and pink soccer scarves he made. “Messi is the Goat” was embroidered on them.
He plans to attend more Inter Miami home games, depending on ticket prices. For Saturday’s game, Loredo paid $170. “The closest to the field were worse,” he said. “I saw some of those seats going for $1,700. Tickets usually go for $40.”
Maria Laura Rodriguez, a party decorator of Argentine descent, traveled with her husband and their two kids from Kendall, a neighborhood about 45 miles south of Fort Lauderdale. Rodriguez fashioned a giant M and the number 10 out of black cardboard festooned with pink and black balloons.
Last week, she and her husband purchased four tickets at $250 each for seats in a corner section behind one of the goal posts.
A South Florida resident for 13 years, Rodriguez and her family were not big fans before Messi signed with the team. “We knew about them but not with great furor,” Rodriguez said. “Now, definitely. We are going to be coming a lot.”
