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MAGIC! Lionel Messi comes off bench to win Inter Miami debut on free kick
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi has spent two decades making the extraordinary seem normal, but this was something special, even by his own ludicrous standards.
With mere moments remaining in his Inter Miami debut on Friday night, Messi unleashed a dream of a free-kick from just outside the penalty area, to give his new team a thrilling 2-1 victory over Mexico's Cruz Azul in the League Cup at DRV PNK Stadium.
"I knew I had to score," Messi told Apple TV. "It was the last play of the game. It was very important for us to get this win, it's a new tournament, it is going to give us confidence moving forward."
Lionel Messi drills a ridiculous free kick in stoppage time in his inaugural match with Inter Miami CF
He's done that kind of thing before, of course, but still … wow. What timing, what a sense of occasion. And what a moment in the history of Major League Soccer, which quite rightly feels that bringing in one of the best of all-time — just a few months after he won the World Cup — is a transcendent breakthrough for the league.
"As soon as I saw the free-kick given I thought this is the way it's meant to end," added Inter co-owner David Beckham, who made his own historic move to MLS 16 years ago. "It is such a moment for this country, such a moment for the league.
"All of these people that came down here to see Leo just step on the pitch, let alone do what he's done … it's a dream come true for everyone in this stadium to see."
Messi's going to have fun here, if things keep going like this. He carried a beaming smile on his face after the strike, which flew into the top corner, and past goalkeeper Andres Gudino. After the sweet shot, he sprinted over to the sidelines, celebrated with his kids, and got lauded with screaming applause by a packed crowd that included LeBron James, Kim Kardashian and Serena Williams.
[LeBron James among celebrity fans at Lionel Messi's Inter Miami debut]
He had come on as a sub, because that was always the plan. Messi hadn't played 90 minutes since mid-June, and only joined his new colleagues for training on Tuesday. Rustiness? Not so much.
Messi was introduced at 54 minutes, with his team leading 1-0 thanks to a fine goal before halftime from Finland midfielder Robert Taylor. Soon after, Cruz Azul equalized through Uriel Artuna, but all that did was set the stage for an epic finish.
Messi had some fine touches and no shortage of energy, linking up well with fellow newcomer Sergio Busquets, with whom he played for most of his time at Barcelona. Even so, it looked as if the contest was headed for penalty kicks — as dictated by League Cup rules.
Until Messi called game, and provided the ultimate highlight.
He looked relaxed from the moment he stepped off the team bus a few hours earlier. He shared an embrace pregame with basketball icon James, and some kind words, from one GOAT to another. Before he came on in the second half to replace Benjamin Cremashci he smiled, shrugged, finished his stretching routine, tinkered with his cleats, then strode on to a thunderous ovation.
There were a couple of missteps, for it takes time to adapt to a new team and its rhythms. For some players, it can take a season. For Messi, it took about 35 minutes.
It was easy to forget that Inter Miami sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. There are still some issues to fix, but having one of the best of all time in your lineup, before elite stars such as Busquets and the incoming Jordi Alba, kind of helps.
Beckham, visibly emotional afterward, certainly hopes that is the case.
"When you've got players like Leo and Sergio on the pitch, that's what they produce," he said.
[How Lionel Messi's Miami arrival mirrors the Beckham Experiment]
Maybe Messi can't produce something like this every time, but he just served notice of what is possible. And that's unique, it's special. It's Messi.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.
