Lionel Messi made an emotional return to Inter Miami on Wednesday, only days after the death of his father, but it was not enough to keep the club in the Leagues Cup: a 3-2 defeat to Club León at Nu Stadium sent the Herons out of the tournament.
Named among the substitutes, the Argentine captain was introduced at halftime with Miami leading 1-0, replacing Dániel Pintér — the scorer of the home side’s opener — and drawing a thunderous standing ovation from the crowd. But the Liga MX visitors turned the game around after the break to win 3-2.
The result eliminated Inter Miami from the first phase of the 2026 Leagues Cup, with only the top four clubs from the MLS standings and the top four from Liga MX advancing to the quarterfinals. León’s victory secured its own place in the last eight.
A rapid, painful return
Messi’s appearance capped a wrenching week. His father, Jorge Messi — who served as his agent throughout his career — died on Saturday at a hospital in the central Argentine city of Rosario at the age of 68. The forward flew home to Argentina, where his family laid Jorge to rest on Sunday in a private ceremony, before completing a quick turnaround back to Florida, arriving in Miami on Wednesday morning and appearing on the matchday roster.
He had missed Miami’s previous fixture, a Leagues Cup loss to Monterrey played hours after his father’s death, when the club honored him with a minute’s silence, black armbands, and tributes from the stands.
‘I don’t know how to carry on’
Earlier on Wednesday, Messi shared an emotional tribute to his father on Instagram, reflecting on the pain of the loss and on playing through this summer’s World Cup — where Argentina fell to Spain in the final — while Jorge battled an unspecified illness.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you,” Messi wrote, adding that he had serious doubts about how long he would keep playing.
What comes next
At 39, Messi is one of only two players, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, to have appeared at six World Cups, and remains central to Inter Miami’s season. With the Leagues Cup run over, the club now turns to MLS play, facing a top-of-the-table meeting with Eastern Conference leaders Nashville SC on Saturday night.