Lionel MessiIt is known that he is a magnet for any football and sports fan. That is why the videos and images of people waiting hours for a photo or autograph of the best footballer in history are replicated week after week on social networks. And this Saturday was no exception. After the 2-2 draw against Colorado Rapids by the United States MLS, where the Argentine star returned to activity after 24 days with a goal included, a 13 year old girl mocked the jealous security that always surrounds the playing field of the stadium Inter Miami and he reached the Flea.
But what caught the most attention was the audio of the video of just 12 seconds that showed the journey of the little Venezuelan from her jump from the stands to the hug with Messi, who, as always, agreed without problems, but also left her some advice when He saw that security personnel arrived at the scene.
“Come on, come on, run outside”Messi can be heard clearly as he accompanies the player with his arms. Antonella Siegertcategory 2011 and who is a “footballer in progress”, as defined in his Instagram profile, where he details that he is part of the “Nona” Football Academy.
“Thank you @leomessi for being so humble and agreeing to make this moment a reality!”the little soccer player wrote to the Rosario, recovered from the injury that forced him to miss four games with Las Garzas, who on Wednesday will try to reverse the series against Rayados de Monterreyin Mexico, to access the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
The post of the girl who reached Messi
A few hours after the ‘feat’, Antonella Siegert made a post on her Instagram account, in which she detailed the journey she made to be able to be present in the stadium, first, and to dare to jump onto the playing field despite the risk that it could mean.
“The day I was able to fulfill my dream, the day where many things happened so that everything could be achieved…”the 13-year-old Venezuelan began writing in @antonella.soccer.
Antonella is right-handed, unlike Messi, but what she seems to share is the speed to reach her destination and the perseverance to fulfill her dream of becoming a professional soccer player.
“I did the impossible to be in that game in Miami traveling from afar, the positions we had were super high to be able to get to the field, it was going to be impossible because you had to jump about 4 meters,” he said about the preview of his ‘launch’ from the stands.
“So we moved to the brava bar and I waited for the right moment and I just ran and ran with all my strength and I was able to get to him. Those seconds where I hugged him were the best seconds of my life.“, hill.
Messi and a return with a trademark goal
The man from Rosario had the pleasure of moving on the court again, 24 days after his last game, when a muscle discomfort forced him to miss four games.
Leo’s return was on date 7 of the MLS, a tournament that allows efforts to be moderated: the regular phase is made up of 38 days and the first nine teams of the 15 that make up each conference qualify. For this reason, coach Gerardo Martino put not only Messi on the bench, but also Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets y Jordi Albaamong others, thinking about the rematch against Monterrey on Wednesday (11:30 p.m. Argentine time).
Tata’s plan was for his stars to rest but the coach’s premise was also to give minutes to Lionel, a fundamental player in an 11 that seems to play without soul every time its captain had to sit in his box. After the victory against Nashville, on March 13, Messi’s departure began a string of disappointments for Inter Miami: 1-3 loss against DC United, 4-0 win at New York RB’s home, 1-1 draw at home with New York City FC and the aforementioned stumble against Monterrey.
Messi brings rosy life to the franchise led by Beckham. Before sitting on the bench, he greeted the celebrity on duty located in the VIP, in this case the singer Daddy Yankee, and in the 35th minute he called “Gasolina” to the stadium when he put on a shirt and went out to move on the side of the stadium. field. There came the 1-0 of the visit, from a penalty. It was superhero time.
Leo exceeded the most optimistic expectations and entered at the start of the second half. The former Barcelona and PSG player needed just 12 minutes to receive on the edge of the area, hit it first and convert the tie with his left foot, giving a message to the world: “He is back”as they had announced from their new club, paraphrasing Michael Jordan’s historic return to basketball.
A little while later, Inter Miami took the lead on the scoreboard through the feet of Brazilian Leonardo Afonso, after an action initiated by Leo. The 10 was very active (he ran a total of 4.5 kilometers, according to the TV), he pressed every time he could and looked for another goal, especially with a shot from a distance after making the play with a hitch.
However, the party was not complete in Miami because the visitor took advantage of a distraction and made it 2-2 that would be final, with 5 minutes left on the clock.
The balance ended up being positive. So far in his adventure on North American land, Leo has 17 goals and 7 assists in 20 games, and suffered only two defeats. Therefore, his presence against Monterrey is almost a mandate if Inter Miami’s idea is to turn history around. In Mexico they wait for him; They do not know what awaits them.