Fans catch superstar: Messi suffers surprising knockout in emotional comeback

Five days after the loss of his father, Lionel Messi is back on the pitch - accompanied by great applause. After the death, the football star had spoken out publicly with emotional words.

Football star Lionel Messi has played for Inter Miami for the first time since the death of his father Jorge and experienced an emotional return to the pitch. The 39-year-old was substituted at halftime during the Leagues Cup match against the Mexican team Club León to the applause of the fans in the stadium in Miami.

Inter Miami lost the match 2-3 and thus surprisingly missed the knockout round of the competition between teams from Major League Soccer and the Mexican Liga MX. Messi had missed the second group match against the Mexican club CF Monterrey because he attended his father's funeral over the weekend. The former FC Barcelona player had traveled back to Miami on Tuesday.

Jorge Messi died at 68 years old

Messi had spoken out publicly with emotional words after his father's death. "Dad, I still can't believe you're no longer here. I can't grasp it - or rather: I don't want to believe it," the 39-year-old Argentine wrote on social media. According to this, his father's death could also lead to an earlier end to the career of the 2022 World Cup winner. He had "just played football, and now I have great doubts whether I will do that for much longer. I don't know what to do without you and how to carry on."

Jorge Messi had been active as his son's advisor from the beginning of his career. He brought him to FC Barcelona early on, where Lionel Messi played from 2000 to 2021. He is currently active for Miami in the USA. Messi participated in six World Cups with the Argentine national team. Jorge Messi died on Saturday at the age of 68 in Rosario.