Rodrigo De Paul paid tribute to Lionel Messi on a night overshadowed by the death of Jorge Messi. The midfielder scored Inter Miami’s first goal against Monterrey and, immediately after scoring, removed his jersey to reveal another underneath, bearing the name and number 10 of the Argentine captain.
De Paul, who wore the captain’s armband in Messi’s absence, made it 1-0 in the 31st minute of the first half with a low shot from outside the box that surprised goalkeeper Luis Cárdenas. After the celebration, he approached the stands and displayed the jersey of his teammate and friend from the Argentine national team.
Messi was not present at the match because he traveled to Rosario with Antonela Roccuzzo following the death of his father, Jorge Messi, at the age of 68. The match also began with a minute of silence in his honor, and the Inter Miami players wore black armbands.
Fans of the American team also expressed their support for their captain. In the 10th minute, they unfurled a banner with the message “Stay strong, Leo,” while the club had released a message of support for the Messi family hours earlier.
On the field, Inter Miami couldn’t hold onto their lead. Hugo Cuypers equalized at the start of the second half, and Diego Rossi scored in the 90th minute to give Monterrey a 2-1 victory in the second round of the Leagues Cup.
Messi left the American team’s training camp to travel to Argentina and was not present for the match against Monterrey. His teammates, including De Paul, took the opportunity to support him from afar and offer their condolences amidst the grief of losing his father.
Lionel Messi and his family have been at El Prado Cemetery since Saturday night, where his father’s remains are located. His father passed away early Sunday morning at Clínica Centro after a long illness.
After landing at 8:40 p.m. at Malvinas Argentinas Airport, the captain of the national team, along with Antonela Roccuzzo and their children, were transported in a police-escorted motorcade to the cemetery.
The captain arrived with his family at Malvinas Argentinas International Airport after departing at 11:19 a.m. (Miami time) from Fort Lauderdale Airport on a Gulfstream V aircraft, registration N776MA, registered in the United States.
