After telling coach Tata Martino he wanted to take the fifth and final penalty kick on the road in the Leagues Cup Round of 16 match against FC Dallas, Inter Miami midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi of Key Biscayne strode confidently toward the penalty box Sunday night. He put the ball down and fired without pausing, finding the bottom right corner to advance Inter Miami to the quarterfinal on Friday. Moments after coming on as a substitute in the second half, the 18-year-old scored a goal, and Lionel Messi grinned broadly, raised his fist, and ran across the field to join the celebration.

Benja Cremaschi’s parents, Pablo and Jimena, watched in disbelief since they could never have anticipated that their son would end up playing beside Messi. Argentina served as the family’s birthplace and upbringing. Pablo participated in rugby for the Argentine national team, and Jimena excelled in field hockey. They continued to be passionate about Argentine sports after relocating to South Florida 20 years ago and instilled this love in their four children. They naturally supported FC Barcelona fiercely and rarely missed a Messi game. So it’s still difficult for them to process seeing their son celebrating beside the Argentine superstar. “What is happening is unthinkable,” the pleased father said to the Miami Herald on Tuesday.

We find it difficult to comprehend Benjamin scoring a goal and Messi showing there to congratulate him. We are a really normal Argentine family, so the truth of it hasn’t really sunk in yet. We have been residents of this country for 20 years, yet we maintain strong ties to our Argentine culture by watching Argentine soccer around the world and supporting Messi. Cremaschi sports the number 30 in remembrance of Messi, who wore it initially with Barcelona and later with Paris Saint-Germain. When he first met Messi, the humble star was friendly and disarming, which immediately put his new teammates at ease. He admits that this made him anxious.

After a month, Cremaschi is equally at ease around Leo Messi and Leo Campana. Benja Cremaschi told the Herald on Wednesday, “Obviously, I’m a great fan and always will be. Even while playing alongside him, I am a major fan of his and what he does, and who he is. Sharing the pitch with him is incredible, not to mention living day to day with him.I was unsure of what to expect when I learned he was coming. I was imagining different versions of him as a person in my thoughts. And it’s incredible that he is even better than I had imagined. It’s good to have someone of that caliber who is really modest and compassionate.

The father stated, “I have questioned him, ‘Do you comprehend you are playing with Messi?’ and he laughs. I don’t want to give additional pressure to him. It would be like talking to Michael Jordan, in my opinion. Even though Leo is a prominent athlete like Messi, Benjamin already refers to him as a friend or another individual. That illustrates Messi’s humility. Due to the fact that their father founded a young rugby club in Key Biscayne, Benja Cremaschi and his two brothers played soccer and rugby as children. But he had a slight preference for soccer. He began playing for Key Biscayne Soccer Club before moving on to Weston FC.

Along with other Weston teammates, Cremaschi was invited to test out for the Inter Miami youth academy when he was 15 years old, but he did not make the second round. He cried a little but promised to keep getting better. He was brought back to Inter Miami camp a few years later after a stellar showing at the MLS Next Cup in Dallas, and this time he lasted. Cremaschi received college offers from a number of institutions, including Clemson, UNC, Penn State, Colorado, and others. He attended MAST Academy until his sophomore year before completing an online high school program. He anticipated taking that path. Instead of going pro, his mother urged him to attend college. However, once that contract was in front of me, it was difficult for me to decline, according to Cremaschi.

Benja’s father recalled, “We had in-depth discussions, explaining to Benja that turning professional would mean forgoing excellent prospects to attend university, but that was the road he chose. Benja will start attending classes this fall after the parents insisted that the contract also cover the cost of online college tuition. His sister Juana, 23, graduated from FIU with a degree in marketing and is now enrolled in a master’s program at NYU. Segundo, his 22-year-old brother, majored in finance at FIU. Santi, the younger brother, is 16 years old and plays soccer at Kendall Soccer Academy. Cremaschi argued that having athletic parents is advantageous since they know how to encourage without interfering. Pablo Cremaschi stated, “I think it’s very important for parents to know their roles, to make sure it’s the kid’s dream, not yours.” “I have encountered many parents who are overly invested in their children’s careers, who want to voice their thoughts, and who act as though they are more knowledgeable than the coaches and referees. And in the end, all that accomplishes is to confuse the children.

Cremaschi gives gratitude to his sports psychologist, former Argentine Olympic swimmer Augustina DeGiovanni, and his Weston coach Chris Nurse for their early faith in him. Tennis players David Nalbandian and Monica Puig’s trainer Claudio Galazzo have also proven crucial. Cremaschi worked with Javi Morales at the academy, and the assistant coach for Inter Miami claims that the teen’s mentality is what makes him unique. He is successful and eager to learn. He is quite inquisitive. Additionally, he is mature and intelligent enough to handle the pressure. Sunday was the day when it was most obvious.