Miami : Inter Miami midfielder Rodrigo De Paul produced a deeply moving moment on the pitch during their Leagues Cup match against Monterrey, dedicating his spectacular goal to team captain Lionel Messi, who was absent following the passing of his father, Jorge Messi.
Messi returned to Rosario, Argentina, to be with his family after his father passed away at the age of 68. In his captain’s absence, De Paul stepped up in the 32nd minute, unleashing a brilliant long-range strike into the bottom corner to open the scoring for Inter Miami.
Immediately after scoring, the 32-year-old midfielder ran towards the corner and removed his match shirt to reveal Lionel Messi’s iconic No. 10 jersey worn underneath. The emotional celebration earned De Paul a yellow card, but provided a powerful statement of solidarity and affection for his close friend and international teammate.
Before kick-off, players from both teams observed a minute of silence and wore black armbands as a sign of respect for Jorge Messi, who played a foundational role in guiding his son’s historic football career.
