Lionel Messi celebrated his comeback. © APA / RICH STORRY

Pure emotion: Messi back on the pitch

Football star Lionel Messi played for Inter Miami for the first time since the death of his father Jorge and experienced an emotional return to the pitch.

August 13, 2026

From: dpa

The 39-year-old was substituted into the game at halftime in the Leagues Cup match against the Mexican team Club León to the applause of the fans in the stadium in Miami.

Inter Miami lost the match 2-3, surprisingly missing out on the knockout stage of the competition between teams from Major League Soccer and the Mexican Liga MX. Messi had missed the second group match against Mexican club CF Monterrey because he attended his father's funeral over the weekend. The former FC Barcelona player returned to Miami on Tuesday.

Messi mourns his father

Messi publicly shared his emotional grief after his father's death. "Dad, I still can't believe you're gone. I can't grasp it – or rather, I don't want to believe it," the 39-year-old Argentinian wrote on social media. He also suggested that his father's death could lead to an earlier end to the 2022 World Cup winner's career.

Messi can now distract himself with football again. © APA / RICH STORRY

Jorge Messi acted as his son's advisor from the very beginning of his career. He brought him to FC Barcelona at a young age, where Lionel Messi played from 2000 to 2021. He currently plays for Miami in the USA. Messi participated in six World Cups with the Argentinian national team. Jorge Messi died on Saturday in Rosario at the age of 68.