Lionel Messi's popularity was as clear as ever on Saturday night as Inter Miami faced off against Sporting KC at Arrowhead Stadium - home of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sporting KC normally plays their matches at Children’s Mercy park, which can only seat up to 21,500 fans. Due to the immense hype surrounding Messi’s arrival in Kansas City, however, the club opted to move their game against Inter Miami to Arrowhead - a far larger stadium that seats approximately 76,000 people.
Among those in attendance was Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid. Shortly before Messi took the field, the star signal-caller greeted him in the players tunnel and offered some brief words of encouragement, saying: “Good luck man, have fun out there.”
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As expected, Messi drew a record-breaking crowd on Saturday, with more than 70,000 fans reportedly lining the stands. Despite the game being played in Kansas City, the majority of fans in attendance seemed to be supporting Miami - as was clear when Messi scored a screamer in the second half.
It didn’t take long for Messi to make his presence felt at the storied NFL stadium. Heading into the 18th minute, the 36-year-old delivered an incredible pass to Diego Gomez, splitting two defenders with a perfect ball and setting up his teammate’s game-tying score.
Then in the 51st minute, Messi dribbled into a crease in the defense and fired off a laser. His shot quickly found the back of the net, rising just above the outstretched hand of Sporting KC goalie Tim Melia and putting Inter Miami ahead, 2-1.
Lionel Messi recorded a goal and an assist in Inter Miami's 3-2 win (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Luis Suarez’s goal in the 71st minute turned out to be the game-winning score, with Inter Miaimi holding on in the final minutes to secure a 3-2 victory over Sporting KC.
As Messi continues to adjust to life in the United States, the Argentinian recently shared that he’s trying to learn more about the NFL. When asked to list his favourite sports on the Big Time Podcast, he said: "Tennis, padel, basketball and American football,"
"I'm learning a lot about American football,” he continued. “Getting to know it better, and loving it."
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