Lionel Messi returned to Inter Miami on Wednesday following the death of his father, Jorge Messi, but his emotional comeback ended in disappointment as the club suffered a 3-2 defeat to Club León and crashed out of the Leagues Cup.
Jorge Messi, 68, died on Saturday at a hospital in Rosario, Argentina. His son had travelled home following his death and was reportedly present at a private memorial service before returning to the United States.
Messi was named among Miami’s substitutes for the match before coming on at halftime, replacing Dániel Pintér.
Miami had taken the lead through Pintér, but León quickly turned the contest around after the interval.
Daniel Arcila equalised in the 50th minute before Yannick Bright restored Inter Miami’s advantage.
León refused to surrender, with Juan Domínguez bringing the Mexican side level again before Arcila completed his brace to seal a 3-2 comeback victory.
The defeat ended Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup campaign, leaving the club with one win and two losses from its three group-stage matches.
León, by contrast, completed a perfect group-stage run with three victories from three games.
Messi’s appearance came only days after he missed Miami’s defeat to Monterrey while attending his father’s memorial in Argentina.
His return to the squad reportedly caught some of his teammates by surprise, with Bright describing the Argentine’s decision to play so soon after his father’s death as a powerful demonstration of his commitment to the team.
“It’s incredible. I wasn’t expecting it and it shows how much he cares,” Bright said.
“When I saw that he was here, all I thought about was giving 150 per cent for him.”
Messi also paid tribute to his father in an Instagram post on Wednesday, reflecting on Jorge’s health struggles during Argentina’s journey to the 2026 World Cup final.
The Inter Miami captain recalled how his father had continued encouraging him to participate in the tournament despite his deteriorating condition, revealing the emotional difficulty of playing while carrying concerns about his health.
Despite Messi’s return, Miami could not find a way past León, bringing an early end to a competition in which the club had reached the final last year.
Inter Miami, led by Messi, finished as runners-up in the previous edition after losing the final to Seattle Sounders FC.
This time, however, their campaign ended before the knockout stage, with León advancing after maintaining its unbeaten record.
