World champion Lionel Messi has helped his new club Inter Miami to a late win on their first outing. The Argentine converted a direct free kick in the fourth minute of added time on Friday to win the North American Leagues Cup 2-1 (1-0) against Mexican club Cruz Azul.
Around 21,000 spectators – including stars like LeBron James, Serena Williams, Gloria Estefan and Kim Kardashian – had to wait until the 54th minute of the game before the world footballer came into play together with the recently signed Spaniard Sergio Busquets.
“Great things will happen. I feel the same desire I’ve always felt as a competitor, and I want to win and help Miami grow,” Messi, 36, said at his presentation last week.
Inter Miami have not won in 11 games in American Major League Soccer (MLS) and are currently bottom in the Eastern Conference. This is one of the reasons why the club of co-owner David Beckham recently signed the long-standing Spanish international Jordi Alba from FC Barcelona in addition to Messi and Busquets.
