Newell’s Old Boys could only find a 1-1 draw against Inter Miami in a friendly match in the US, but many players of the Argentina representative were still very satisfied.

After the match at DRV PNK Stadium (Florida, USA) ended, many players stayed behind to ask to take pictures with Lionel Messi. Everyone was excited, they didn’t want to miss the moment of being saved with the owner of the 8 Golden Balls.

Messi was also happy, meeting all the requests of Newell’s Old Boys players, the club that was once the breeding ground for Argentine superstar talent. On social networks, fans continuously compliment Leo for his beautiful actions.

Messi is still the character that attracts the most attention at Inter Miami.

For Inter Miami, meeting Newell’s Old Boys is the match that closes the preparation process for the new season. Messi was assigned the starting role by coach Gerardo Martino and played 60 minutes.

As always, the former Barca star still performed impromptu football. This player’s dribbling and ball handling in a narrow range continuously received applause from fans in the stands.

Messi played very hard, almost scored from a free kick situation, when he sent the ball close to the post. Leo had a few more opportunities throughout the hour but could not convert them into goals.

After the Argentine star left the field, Inter Miami immediately scored a goal from Shanyder Borgelin in the 64th minute. However, coach Martino’s team could not maintain their lead and conceded a goal in the 83rd minute. The scorer for Newell’s Old Boys was Franco Diaz.

After the match, Inter Miami coach Martino said: “I see that Messi has completely recovered. The club must take care of this player step by step, because that helps Leo have perfect preparation for the new season. From What I saw on the field today and the way Messi played and accelerated, I really see that Leo has completely recovered.”

Previously, Messi suffered a hamstring injury, causing him to miss the friendly match against Hong Kong in early February. Leo’s failure to play and communicate with fans in Hong Kong caused him to be heavily criticized.

The wave of boycotting Messi also appeared in China, because just a few days after the match against Hong Kong, Messi put his shoes on the field again when Inter Miami met Vissel Kobe in Japan.

On February 22, Messi’s Inter Miami will host Real Salt Lake at DRV PNK’s home field in round 1 of the 2024 MLS season.