- The 36-year-old Argentinian scored late in the 1-1 away match against Inter Miami
- Messi’s Inter Miami are considered favorites to win the MLS Cup this season
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Lionel Messi has shared an adorable photo of himself with his wife on social media on her birthday, just a day after scoring a last-minute equalizer for Inter Miami against LA Galaxy.
The 36-year-old Argentinian shared a message of love to his sweetheart on Instagram on Monday, publicly telling her: ‘Congratulations, princess! I love you @antonelarocuzzo.”
The couple were also pictured with their three children – sons Thiago, 11, Matteo, 8, and Ciro, 5 – blowing a cake, while posing in front of multi-coloured balloons, a Pocahontas cardboard sign and a wall sticker, which read ‘Congratulations Anto.’
“Un ano mas viejita,” Antonela, now 36, wrote as the caption to her Instagram post of family photos, which directly translates to “one year older” in English.
Victoria Beckham also wished Antonela a happy birthday on Instagram, sharing a photo of the two of them from what appears to be a girls’ lunch.
Lionel Messi received balloons, flowers and a Pocahontas plate for his wife on his birthday on Monday
Antonela celebrated with her 36-year-old husband and her three boys, Thiago, Matteo and Ciro
Messi scored a goal in the 92nd minute on Sunday to avoid a first defeat of the new MLS season with Inter Miami, as the Herons salvaged a 1-1 draw against the Galaxy in LA.
He slid forward and fired a shot into the roof of the net above Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy after completing a pass-and-go sequence with Jordi Alba, with whom he previously played for nine seasons at Barcelona.
The goal electrified the raucous crowd cheering on both teams during Miami’s first road game of the season. Thousands of fans wore Messi shirts among the 27,642 in attendance – a record for a regular-season Galaxy match at their suburban stadium.
Kim Kardashian was criticized by fans on social media after the match for lining up her son, Saint West, to go out with Messi, instead of a “less fortunate child.”
Inter Miami are strong betting favorites to dominate MLS this season after bringing together Messi and Luis Suarez with fellow ex-Barca stars Sergio Busquets and Alba – but everyone in Messi’s side knows it won’t be easy.
Miami won the season opener at home last Wednesday, but were often outplayed by the rebuilding Galaxy four days later in Messi’s first appearance against the club that once employed Inter co-owner David Beckham.
Victoria Beckham also made sure to wish Antonela a happy birthday on Instagram on Monday
Messi walks out with Kim Kardashian’s son Saint West before Inter Miami’s draw against LA Galaxy on Sunday
Beckham, who catalyzed the growth of MLS with his move to the Galaxy in 2007, has a statue outside his old team’s stadium. He is also a key reason for Inter’s rise to the role long occupied by the Galaxy, with the likes of Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard and Zlatan Ibrahimovic being employed late in their careers.
The excitement surrounding Sunday’s match was a thrill for MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
“It represents pretty much everything we wanted this sport to be, and we worked so hard for so many years,” said Garber, who met with Beckham and Galaxy owner Phil Anschutz before the match. “Everyone is working hard to build on this momentum. … To me, this is very much about where we were in 2007 and where we are now.”
Next up for Messi and Co. is an away match against rival Orlando City on Saturday.