Argentine football star Lionel Messi returned to the pitch on Wednesday, after publishing a letter to his late father, Jorge, who died on Saturday, in which he said he had “serious doubts” about continuing to play football.
He featured for Inter Miami in their third and final group-stage match of the 2026 Leagues Cup, which ended with a 3-2 loss to Mexico’s León, which eliminated the Herons from the tournament.
The Rosario-born player had spent several days in Argentina with his family as they said their final goodbyes to his father at a private ceremony on Sunday.
He returned to the United States on Wednesday and was included on coach Ángel Hoyos’ substitutes’ bench before coming on at the start of the second half.
Messi played the entire second half, replacing forward Daniel Pintér, who had scored the opener to give Miami a 1-0 lead. But the Herons couldn’t hold on, conceding twice before Daniel Arcilla’s 85th-minute strike sealed the victory for León and Inter Miami’s elimination.
