Lionel Messi was left seething after his Inter Miami were denied a penalty in the closing stages of their 1-1 draw with Charlotte on Saturday night and the Argentine was spotted furiously confronting the match’s referee shortly after the full-time whistle. Following his arrival in Florida last summer, Messi has transformed the fortunes of Inter Miami. The club were dead last in the MLS table when he signed, but just over a year later, they’re in a very different place.
Messi guided them to their first ever piece of silverware, winning the Leagues Cup in 2023 and this season, they look poised to go all the way and win the league, currently sitting first in the Eastern Conference. It’s been a tremendous turnaround for the young franchise, but they’ve slowed down a little, drawing each of their last three matches.
The latest tie in particular had Messi frustrated as he felt his side should have been awarded a penalty right at the death of the game, but referee Ramy Touchan thought otherwise.
Messi Confronted the Referee Angrily
He received a yellow card for his actions
After falling behind in the second half, Messi was on hand to equalise for Miami with a sublime effort from outside the box. It was everything that fans have come to expect from the star over the years and saved a point for his team.
They could have stolen all three at the death, though, when the 37-year-old played a perfectly weighted pass over the Charlotte defence to Jordi Alba who headed it across the face of the goal. The ball found Luis Suarez just inches away from the net, but he inexplicably managed to fire it over the bar, before colliding with goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina. He was left writhing in agony and Messi thought it should have been a penalty. It wasn’t given and the match ended 1-1, with the Argentine quickly confronting the referee once the final whistle was blown.
He was captured on video storming towards the officials and gesturing angrily towards Touchan, who ultimately showed him a yellow card for his actions. According to Daily Mail, Messi called the referee a ‘mean-spirited son of a b****’ for his decision, but somehow avoided a red card. It was completely out of character for the former Barcelona man, who has otherwise been excellent during his time in the United States.
Messi’s Miami Move Has Been a Success
He’s been on fire for the club
After a disappointing spell at Paris Saint-Germain in comparison to his usually incredible standards, Messi moved to Inter Miami last summer with a point to prove and boy, has he done just that. In 32 appearances for the club, he’s recorded 44 goal contributions. That’s quite the return from a player who turned 37 years old in June.
While he’s been dealing with a couple of injuries recently that have limited his action, he’s still as good as he’s ever been whenever he plays and it doesn’t look like that will be changing anytime soon.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and accurate as of 29/09/2024
