The suffering of Lionel Messi, captain of Inter Miami and the Argentina national team, continues. Within 25 days he has taken three blows. First came defeat in the 2026 World Cup final, then the death of his father Jorge, and finally a shock elimination in the early hours of Thursday.
Messi returned to action with Inter Miami just four days after his father's death, coming on in the second half against Club León in the Leagues Cup.
His return counted for nothing. Inter Miami lost 3-2 and bowed out of the tournament in the group stage.
Messi returns amid a moving tribute
Inter Miami started strongly and led 1-0 at the break before Messi replaced goalscorer Daniel Bynter at the start of the second half.
The fans gave the Argentine star a rousing reception, offering a special tribute in his first appearance since he missed the previous match against Monterrey, a 2-1 defeat for Inter Miami.
His presence was not enough to save his side. Club León turned the result around in the second half.
Daniel Arcia struck twice, in the 50th and 83rd minutes, while Juan Pablo Domínguez added a third in the 61st, as the Mexican side secured victory and knocked Inter Miami out.
At one point defender Yohan Romaña cornered Messi, then lifted him up and embraced him, a moment that carried a moving human touch given the circumstances the player is going through.
A moving message from Messi to his father
Hours before the match, Messi posted a moving message mourning his father Jorge, who died four days earlier. He spoke of the difficulty of accepting the loss, and hinted at doubts over how much longer he will keep playing football.
Messi wrote on his social media accounts: "I love you, Dad."
He added: "Dad, I still can't believe you're gone. I'm not falling apart, or rather I don't want to fall apart. It's so hard for me to imagine that I won't see you again, and that we won't talk again. I know you were suffering, and that your passing was perhaps better this way, but you left far too soon. We still had so much left to live together."
His father's dream of the World Cup
Messi also spoke of his father's connection to his last World Cup, saying Jorge had wished dearly to see him play at the tournament.
He said: "You were pressing me hard to play in the last World Cup, and a few days before it began, you fell ill at that time."
He added: "It was the first time you wouldn't be there during a tournament, but my mother kept telling me you would get better, and that your condition would allow you to travel. I kept telling you that we would reach the final so that you could be there."
Messi had returned quickly to Inter Miami's ranks following the World Cup final defeat to Spain on 19 July, only to be hit by the death of his father Jorge. Four days later he was back on the pitch, in a match that ended with his side's exit from the Leagues Cup.