Lionel Messi’s every move was on display in his Major League Soccer play-off debut.
Every touch. Every shot attempt. Even if he didn’t do anything at all, it was shown.
There was a ‘Messi cam’ focused on the Inter Miami superstar during his team’s play-off opening 2-1 win over Atlanta United on Friday night. None other than the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was streamed live on MLS’s TikTok account throughout the match.
It reflected the excitement surrounding Inter Miami, which rose in popularity when Messi arrived midway through the 2023 season.
The stadium was packed with Messi fans and famous faces, including Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr, former NFL player Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson and actor Idris Elba.
“The Messi effect was great. It was really great,” Johnson said in a television interview. “From a global aspect, having Messi here in the United States and being able to grow the game, just like we’ve tried to grow the game here and make it more popular because we have so many different sports. …Especially for me it was a pleasure not to have to travel to Spain to watch him play.”
Messi did not score, but assisted 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 from Messi on Friday night.
Inter Miami is the No. 1 seed in the playoffs after setting MLS records for points (74) and winning percentage (.765).
Messi, who scored a hat trick in the regular-season finale, is in contention for the league’s MVP despite missing nearly half of the MLS season due to injury and commitments to the Argentina national team. He finished with 20 goals and 16 assists. Luis Suarez also scored 20 goals, joining Messi as the first pair of MLS teammates to reach this milestone in a season.
The 37-year-old smiled and hugged his teammates as Suarez scored the opening goal less than two minutes into the match.
He was shown blowing past a defender and with one quick touch fired a strike from outside the penalty area, which Guzan pushed over the crossbar, and later placed both hands on his head and looked up into the stands as Guzan denied him again.
Fans stood for most of the first half. And those closest to the pitch leaned forward with their phones extended as far as their arms would allow them to take photos and videos of Messi as he got close.
Miami can seal the best-of-three series by winning Game 2 in Atlanta on November 2.