First goal after his father's death: Messi's emotional celebration with hands raised to the sky

Staff Report: PNN

Following the death of his father, Jorge Messi, he returned to the pitch quickly. However, Lionel Messi went goalless in his first two matches back. Finally, in the early hours of Thursday (August 20), the Argentine megastar ended the long wait by scoring against the Philadelphia Union. After scoring, he remembered his father by raising both hands toward the sky.

In addition to his goal, Messi provided an assist during the match. Driven by his stellar performance, Inter Miami held a lead at one point before eventually settling for a 2–2 draw against Philadelphia.

Messi scored with a left-footed strike in the 26th minute of the match at Subaru Park. Earlier, he contributed to Inter Miami's first goal as well, providing the assist for teammate Daniel Pinter's strike. Although his teammates gathered around to celebrate with him after he scored, Messi's celebration was filled with deep emotion.

On August 8, Messi's father, Jorge Messi, passed away at the age of 68 in Rosario, Argentina. Throughout his long career, his father was one of his primary pillars of support. From childhood onward, Jorge stood by Messi through many significant moments in his football journey, also serving as his son's agent for an extended period.

Following his father's death, Messi shared an emotional message expressing gratitude and love for Jorge. Despite his personal grief, he had to return to the field quickly. However, he was unable to score in his first two matches back. Following a loss to León in the Leagues Cup, Miami suffered a heavy defeat against Nashville in Major League Soccer (MLS), where Messi also missed a penalty.

The goal against Philadelphia was therefore not only important for Miami, but also marked a deeply significant moment for Messi personally. Scoring just 11 days after losing his father, he transformed his emotions on the pitch into a heartfelt tribute.

With this strike, Messi's goal tally for the current MLS season has reached 13. In the race for the Golden Boot, he now trails leader Petar Musa by just a single goal. Simultaneously, Messi's goal and assist helped Inter Miami snap a three-match losing streak.

However, with the win eluding them, full relief has not yet returned to the Miami camp. Settling for a 2–2 draw meant leaving the pitch with just one point. Nevertheless, Messi's individual performance proved once again that even during times of profound personal grief, the Argentine legend continues his efforts to give his absolute best for the team.