End of series for Inter Miami. Since the arrival in mid-July of Lionel Messi, David Beckham's franchise remained in twelve games without defeat. Traveling to Atlanta this Saturday, Gerardo "Tata" Martino's team lost heavily 5-2, but without the Argentinian world champion. Staying in Florida, the seven-time Golden Ball winner attended a match of his eldest son.
After carrying out individual training, he who suffers from muscular fatigue, Lionel Messi went to encourage his son Thiago, player of the Inter Miami U12 team, with his two other sons, and even took the liberty of give some instructions.
On the Atlanta side, the absence of Lionel Messi was regretted by local supporters, who hoped to see the star. “Where is Messi?”, could we read for example on several signs. This phrase was also chanted repeatedly by fans throughout the match. The consequences were also economic with the price of tickets which fell sharply in the hours preceding the meeting.
Tata Martino indicated that Lionel Messi suffers from “muscle fatigue” and that it was “very unwise” to play him against Atlanta. On September 27, the “Pulga” will try to win a second trophy with his team during the US Open Cup final against Houston.
Messi, 36, did not play in Argentina's 2026 World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in La Paz on Tuesday. On September 8, the striker was the only scorer in the match between Argentina and Ecuador.