FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi’s every move was on display in his Major League Soccer playoff debut.
Every touch. Every shot attempt. Even when he wasn’t doing anything at all, it was shown.
There was a “Messi-cam” focused on the Inter Miami superstar throughout his team’s playoff-opening, 2-1 win over Atlanta United on Friday night. Nothing but the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner livestreamed on MLS’ TikTok account for the duration of the match.
It captured the excitement surrounding Inter Miami, which surged in popularity when Messi arrived midway through the 2023 season.
The stadium was packed with Messi fans and familiar faces, including Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., former NFL player Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and actor Idris Elba.
“The Messi effect has been awesome. It’s been very awesome,” Johnson said in a televised interview. “From a global aspect, having Messi here in the States and being able to grow the game as much as we’ve been trying to grow the game and make it more popular here, being that we have so many different sports. … Especially for me, not having to travel to Spain anymore to watch him play has been a joy.”
Messi didn’t score but assisted on Jordi Alba’s go-ahead goal in the 60th minute. He had several chances that were denied by Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who had five saves on Messi Friday night.
Inter Miami is the No. 1 seed in the playoffs after setting MLS records for points (74) and winning percentage (.765).
Messi, coming off a hat trick in the regular-season finale, is in contention for league MVP despite missing nearly half the MLS season because of injury and commitments to Argentina’s national team. He finished with 20 goals and 16 assists. Luis Suarez also scored 20 goals, joining Messi to become the first pair of MLS teammates to reach that milestone in a season.
The 37-year-old smiled and hugged his teammates when Suarez scored the opening goal less than two minutes into the match.
He was shown blowing past a defender and with one swift touch firing a strike from outside the box, which Guzan pushed over the crossbar, and later placing both hands on his head and looking up into the stands when Guzan denied him again.
Fans stood for most of the first half. And those closest to the pitch leaned forward with their phones stretched up as far as their arms would allow to capture photos and video of Messi when he got close.
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