Lionel Messi scores sensational game-winning goal in his Inter Miami debut
Published:Saturday | July 22, 2023 | 12:38 PM
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Some people paid hundreds of dollars to be able to say they were in the stadium for Lionel Messi's debut for Inter Miami.
Some paid thousands for their seats.
The team's owners committed well over $100 million just to have a chance at moments like this.
So far, it looks like money well spent.
From the you-can't-make-this-up department, Messi capped the opening night with his new club by delivering the unforgettable.
His magical left foot sent a free kick into the upper left corner of the net in the 94th minute Friday night, giving Inter Miami a 2-1 win over Mexican club Cruz Azul in a Leagues Cup match.
“What I saw was the goal,” Messi said in an on-field interview amid the postgame celebration.
“I saw the goal. I knew that I had to score.”
He makes it sound so easy. Made it look so easy, too.
The game's greatest active player — a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner and a World Cup champion — sent the ball over a wall of four Cruz Azul defenders for the winning goal, unquestionably the greatest moment in Inter Miami's brief history.
Fireworks shot into the night sky, and play resumed for roughly a minute before the referee's whistle blew.
“It's a movie that we have seen before,” Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said.
Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.