Lionel Messi did what he does best in his MLS debut; put the ball into the back of the net, and in doing so mesmerized those in Fort Lauderdale and across the globe.
The sports social media world reacted in collective amazement as Messi scored a 94th minute free kick to defeat Cruz Azul at the death.
Some of the US’ biggest celebrities including Kim Kardashian, LeBron James, Serena Williams along with English royalty, David and Victoria Beckham.
Online the cream of the athletic world were in awe of what they witnessed occur at DRV PNK Stadium.
The list included James, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, former NFL punter and talks how star, Pat McAfee, as well as notable NFL media figures, Ian Rapoport and Rich Eisen.
Lionel Messi scored a sensational free kick to seal a 2-1 victory for Inter Miami vs. Cruz Azul
LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes and Pat McAfee were among those to react to Messi’s goal
😰😰😰😰😰😶😶😶😶😥#LeaguesCup2023 pic.twitter.com/L97u1ATMOM
— Liga BBVA MX (@LigaBBVAMX) July 22, 2023
‘INCREDIBLE!!!!,’ wrote James, who witnessed the moment of magic in-person. Mahomes added ‘wild man!’, followed by a goat emoji, also used by The King.
McAfee had a different choice of emoji, opting for a litany of them before jokingly asking ‘Messi’s the real deal huh??’
NFL Network stars Eisen and Rapoport have seen their fair share of greatness on the gridiron, but made sure to appreciate Messi’s brilliance.
‘What an entrance,’ Eisen said. While Rapoport wrote to his followers; ‘So good it’s comical. What a wizard.’
YouTuber, Speed, is well-known as a diehard Cristiano Ronaldo fan but promised to change his allegiance to Messi if he scored the last-second free kick.
Speed proved to be a man of his word, taking off a Portugal No. 7 jersey while in celebration, to reveal a No. 10 Inter Miami shirt with Messi’s name on the back.
Longtime U.S. soccer pundit Alexi Lalas chimed in with a joke; ‘Kid’s gonna be good.’
Twitter comic Josiah Johnson suggested James and Messi may be celebrating on the Miami ᵴtriƥ, even channeling Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito in the 1998 classic ‘Twins.’
Others including Alexi Lalas, and popular podcast PMT, credited Messi following his free kick
“If Messi scores this free kick, I’m a Messi fan, wallahi” 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/dhkoa8oGSV
— Speedy HQ (@iShowSpeedHQ) July 22, 2023
Lionel Messi came off the bench to much fanfare in his debut for Inter Miami vs. the Mexicans
It was expected that Messi would get around 30 minutes but he played more than that, entering minutes after the second half began, with Miami leading 1-0.
And it didn’t take long for him to show just why his signing was so celebrated by Miami and MLS, as he buzzed around the pitch and slipped in his teammates behind the defense multiple times.
Cruz Azul would tie the game in the 65th minute, but there was ultimately too much time left for Messi’s heroics as the home side won.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
