Lionel Messi watched Inter Miami make it to the Round of 16 of the Leagues Cup on Thursday, August 8. He was with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and a guardian. The Round of 32 matchup saw the Herons beat Toronto 4–3. It was a crazy game.

Argentine player Martín was not there because he is still recovering from an ankle injury he got in the Copa America final against Colombia. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner hasn’t been able to play for his club since winning that game on July 14.

He was, however, in the crowd cheering for the MLS team, and it looks like a video caught his appearance.

The second goal of the match was scored by Matias Rojas for the Florida team in the third minute. They quickly made it two goals up when Diego Gomez scored eight minutes later. Toronto got back on track when Lorenzo Insigne scored a penalty kick in the 15th minute to cut the lead in half.

Five minutes after his team gave up a goal, Luis Suarez scored to make it 2-0, but things took a turn when David Martinez was sent off in the 27th minute. Before halftime, Insigne cut the deficit to one goal, but Toronto couldn’t make the most of having an extra player in the second half.

Once more, Rojas scored in the 59th minute, and Inter Miami only gave up one goal after that, 11 minutes before the end. The club’s next game is on Monday, August 12, and it’s in the Round of 16 of the Leagues Cup.

Tata Martino, the manager of Inter Miami, has made it clear that he will not rush Lionel Messi back into action. Since joining the Herons in the summer of 2023, the former Barcelona player has been very important to the team.

During his time at the club, Messi has played 29 times and scored 25 goals while setting up 16 others. Martino told AS this about when the Argentine might be able to come back:

“The new part of the story is the club’s medical report.” He will be checked on every week to see how well he is recovering; we won’t be taking any chances with when he could come back.

Messi’s season has been up and down so far. He has missed 14 games for both his club and his country in 2024. This season, he’s played in 12 MLS games and scored 12 goals and set up 9 others.