Lionel Messi responds to backlash after missing game in Hong Kong
Lionel Messi has responded to the backlash from Chinese fans and media after his absence from a friendly between Inter Miami in Hong Kong on February 4.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The stage is set and the wait is over.
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami's highly anticipated 2024 MLS season begins tonight against Real Salt Lake at the newly named Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Messi and his close friends Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have reunited after leading Barcelona to glory and are embarking on a new journey with Inter Miami.
And there is a lot at stake for Messi and Inter Miami this season.
Inter Miami's bid to win four potential championships begins with the season opener.
“Hopefully we can all win. That's the idea.” Alba said Tuesday about the Concacaf Champions Cup, the Leagues Cup, the US Open Cup – if Inter Miami participates – and the MLS Cup in 2024.
Brayan Vera's header was saved by Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callendar from a corner kick.
It was a great save for the Inter Miami goalkeeper.
Messi stumbled, but no foul: Inter Miami 1, RSL 0
Messi received a full-force pass in the middle and was brought down by a defender.
No foul or yellow card. It was offside.
Messi passed it on to Robert Taylor, who made sure Messi returned the favor in the sequence. Instead of firing a shot, Messi was left on the ground.
Messi's shot towards the net deflected off the face of RSL's Brayan Vera, ending a frantic sequence in which about seven Inter Miami players passed the ball on from a corner.
The sequence ended in offside with Inter Miami justifying a handball by RSL.
Nevertheless, Inter Miami is 1-0 up in the season opener.
Leo Messi dribbled between several defenders and ran wide down the left side to play the perfect pass.
Messi turned and played a floating pass to Julian Gressel, who couldn't take advantage of the best opportunity in the net.
It was almost another highlight assist from Messi.
The second half is underway and Inter Miami is lucky after a goal from Real Salt Lake. RSL's Andres Gomez steals a ball from Messi and Sergio Busquets and his shot goes just outside the right side of the net.
Messi also complained about touches at the other end, but to no avail.
Two minutes later, Inter Miami had another free throw that was deflected in by Julian Gressel.
Lionel Messi just delivered one of those scenes where his standout performance was impressive.
Messi dribbled the ball with a chip over the prone body of Real Salt Lake's Andrew Brody, who was lying on the pitch after being accidentally stepped on his hand. Messi's shot deflected off another RSL defender.
But Messi's feel for the football and his ability to maneuver quickly in space were in top form. He even smiled when he realized what he was doing. Brody eventually left the field as the game continued into overtime of the first half.
Inter Miami scored their first goal of 2024 and they can thank Lionel Messi for the support.
Messi caught Robert Taylor charging toward the net, and Taylor hit hard enough to get past the goalkeeper's outstretched arms and into the left side of the net.
It's Inter Miami 1, Real Salt Lake after the goal in the 39th minute. Here is the highlight:
Messi received a pass in the penalty area, but it seemed like he wasn't ready for the chip throw. After the sequence, he threw his head back in disgust.
At the start of the minute, Jordi Alba narrowly missed the goal to the right after a pass from Messi's corner.
Pablo Ruiz was shown a yellow card in the 17th minute for a foul on Lionel Messi, setting up the team's best scoring opportunity to date. Messi's free kick from 30 meters went on target, but heads-up play from Justen Glad prevented a goal.
Chicho Arango is an absolute bulldog in front of goal and almost had the chance to break the goalless stalemate in the 14th minute.
Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender fended off the danger and prevented a rare early attack from RSL from turning into a shot on goal.
RSL were sloppy in possession early in the game, but Inter Miami were unable to capitalize on their nervous opponents.
Inter Miami completed 62 passes (compared to RSL's 21) and had 62% possession in the first 10 minutes of play.
Inter Miami's only corner kick did not result in a legitimate shot on goal.
The MLS Season Pass on Apple TV streams the season opener between Inter Miami and Real Salt Lake.
Actor, rapper and producer Will Smith was seen on the pitch chatting with Inter Miami co-owner (and legendary former footballer) David Beckham.
Inter Miami's strong quartet of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba will be in the starting lineup for the season opener against Real Salt Lake. For Suarez, this is his first MLS start.
Here's Real Salt Lake's starting lineup as it looks to extend its 14-game unbeaten streak in MLS' opening weekend games:
According to BETMGM, Inter Miami is the favorite to win today's game with moneyline odds of -175. Real Salt Lake is a +400 underdog, while a draw is +340.
Lionel Messi (adductor) and Luis Suárez (knee), both hampered by injury in Hong Kong earlier this month, are healthy and fit to play the full 90 minutes if necessary, Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said on Tuesday.
“They are playing and ready to play,” Martino said during a press conference. “If they have to play 90 minutes, we will always consider it depending on the needs of the team.”
Lionel Messi fans can find their Messi fan fix on Apple TV+ and Apple Music.
The documentary “Messi's World Cup: The Rise of a Legend” aired on Apple TV+ late Tuesday, just in time for the start of the MLS season.
Messi and Apple Music also released a music playlist titled “Messi: The Warm-Up” on Tuesday.
With the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, all MLS games this season will also be broadcast.
Apple also unveiled its new Apple Sports app on Wednesday.
'Messi: The Warm-Up' has been unveiled on Apple Music featuring the football GOAT's most popular pre-match songs. The playlist included artists like Bad Bunny, Peso Pluma, Rihanna and Grupo Frontera.
Major League Soccer is back at its peak in the United States, and you can thank Lionel Messi for that. This will be Messi's first full season with the team since joining last summer and captivated fans by leading the club to the League Cup title a month after his arrival. In 2024, expectations are even higher.
But fans will have to temper their expectations about how often they will see Messi play – if they see him at all – as the 36-year-old star has a grueling schedule ahead of him.
Major League Soccer has locked out referees after their union rejected a tentative contract. This means Lionel Messi's Inter Miami is well on its way to opening the season with replacement officials.
The Professional Soccer Referees Association announced Saturday that 95.8% voted against a tentative agreement with the Professional Referee Organization that provides match officials to the MLS, the NWSL and some lower leagues.
MLS used replacement officials for the first two weeks of the 2014 season before negotiating a five-year contract after the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service began discussions.
Andrés Salerno never imagined his custom Lionel Messi sneakers would go viral. And he never thought he would get the chance to make a pair and gift them directly to his soccer idol. What started as a passion project and grew into a viral moment led to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Salerno, who was born in Buenos Aires.
Lionel Messi posted a video on Monday on one of the largest social media platforms in China to dispel “false stories” that he said earlier this month in Hong Kong for “political reasons and many other reasons that are completely untrue.” didn't play.
Inter Miami star Messi reiterated his reasons for not taking part in Inter Miami's sold-out friendly match against a group of Hong Kong all-stars at the Hong Kong Stadium on February 4 due to an adductor injury.
Messi, Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham and the team were met with boos from fans, a day after Messi briefly took part in a training session at the venue.
Inter Miami wasn't exactly an elite MLS team in 2023. In fact, they were outside the playoff bubble for most of the season. However, in 2024, they are the favorites to win the MLS Cup.
Even if Lionel Messi stays healthy, Miami won't easily advance to the MLS Cup. They'll have to contend with a variety of great teams, including last year's winners Columbus Crew SC and last year's runners-up Los Angeles FC.
Here are the 2024 MLS Cup favorites, courtesy of BetMGM:
- Inter Miami (+250)
- Los Angeles FC (+800)
- Columbus Crew (+900)
- FC Cincinnati (+1200)
- Philadelphia Union (+1400)
- New York Red Bulls (+1600)
- Seattle Sounders (+1600)
- Orlando City SC (+2000)
- Atlanta United (+2200)
Lionel Messi Mania will be far from the only fascinating story to come to MLS this season. From replacement referees to the prospects of some USMNT contenders to the Columbus Crew's chances of replaying, there will be a lot to do in 2024.
Argentina has qualified for men's football at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. And that begs the question of whether Lionel Messi will look to add another Olympic gold medal to his extensive collection of accolades.
“The door is open for a player like him to join us,” said Argentina coach Javier Mascherano, a close friend of Messi and a teammate who won the title at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “Then it depends on him and his promises.”
Mascherano was also Messi's teammate when Argentina won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The group stage of men's football at the 2024 Olympics begins on Wednesday, July 24th. The gold medal game will take place on Friday, July 9th.
This schedule would mean Messi might not miss an MLS game. However, he would miss a lot of time with Inter Miami, who are trying to defend their Leagues Cup title.
(All games can be streamed on Apple TV with the MLS Season Pass.)
- February 21, vs. Real Salt Lake, 8:00 p.m. ET
- February 25, at the Los Angeles Galaxy, 8:30 p.m. ET
- March 2, vs. Orlando City, 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
- March 7, Nashville SC/Moca Winner, 9 p.m. ET (Concacaf Champions League)
- March 10, vs. CF Montréal, 5:00 p.m. ET
- March 13, vs. Nashville SC/Moca Winner, 8:15 p.m. ET (Concacaf Champions League)
- March 16, DC United, 2 p.m. ET
- March 23, at New York Red Bulls, 2 p.m. ET
- March 30, vs. New York City FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
- April 6, vs. Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m. ET
- April 13, at Sporting Kansas City, 8:30 p.m. ET
- April 20, vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m. ET
- April 27, New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m. ET
➤ The complete Inter Miami schedule for 2024
For the first time in the club's short history, Inter Miami CF will take part in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
The Concacaf Champions Cup – formerly known as the Concacaf Champions League – is the annual continental competition between clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The winner of the Concacaf Champions Cup qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup. The expanded 32-team 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025. One MLS team – the Seattle Sounders – qualified for the tournament based on their victory in the 2022 Concacaf Champions League.
This year's competition began on February 6th. The final will take place on June 2nd.
Inter Miami will enter the competition in the Round of 16 with its first game on March 7th. It will play against the winner of the first round between Nashville SC and Moca FC, a team from the Dominican Republic.
Here's how MLS teams qualified for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup:
Every team in the league will wear at least one new jersey for the new season. Take a look at the new jerseys for the 2024 season.
- February 21st: Season opener, Inter Miami vs. Real Salt Lake
- 24th-25th February: MLS is back this weekend
- 11th–18th May: Rivalry Week
- July 24: MLS All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio
- July 26 – Aug 25: League Cup
- Oct. 19: Last day of the regular season (MLS Decision Day)
- December 7th: MLS Cup
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