Messi did not want to be there that night. He buried his father, Jorge, just a few days earlier, and still took the field to play against Mexico’s León.
In the 68th minute, he tried to dribble past Jhohan Romaña, the Colombian defender marking him. He could not get past him. And then, instead of kicking him, he decided to hug the Argentine star.
Romaña hugged him and lifted him off the ground, right there, in the middle of play. Messi smiled, something he had barely done in days. Club León summed it up afterward on its social media: “This hug belongs to León, to everyone, to football”.
Inter Miami lost 3-2 and was eliminated in the group stage of the Leagues Cup 2026, the first time a team with Messi has fallen so early in a tournament.
But that night, in Colombia and throughout Latin America, what was shared was something else: a former San Lorenzo player showing that there are moments when winning matters less.