Lionel Messi’s every move shown on TikTok during his winning debut in the Inter Miami playoffs

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida – Lionel Messi’s every move was on display during his debut in the Major League Soccer playoffs.

Every touch. Every shot attempt. Even if he didn’t do anything at all, it was visible.

There was a “Messi Camera” throughout his team focusing on the Inter Miami superstar opening of the play-offs, victory 2:1 over Atlanta United on Friday night. Nothing but an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner live broadcast on the MLS TikTok account for the duration of the match.

It captured the excitement surrounding Inter Miami, whose popularity increased when Messi arrived midway through the 2023 season.

The stadium was packed with Messi fans and familiar faces, including the Miami Dolphins winger Odell Beckham Jr.former NFL player Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and actor Idris Elba.

“The Messi effect was amazing. It was amazing” – Johnson – he said in a television interview. “From a global standpoint, having Messi here in the States allows us to grow the game as much as we have tried to grow the game and make it more popular here, given that we have so many different sports. … Especially for me, it was a joy not to have to travel to Spain to watch him play.

Messi didn’t score, but he did assist Jordi Alba goal ahead in the 60th minute. He had several chances that were wasted by Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who made five saves from Messi on Friday night.

Inter Miami is in first place in the playoffs after setting MLS records in points (74) and winning percentage (.765).

Messi, scoring a hat-trick in the regular-season finale, he’s in the running for league MVP despite missing almost half of the MLS season due to injuries and commitments to the Argentine national team. He finished with 20 goals and 16 assists. Luis Suarez also scored 20 goals, joining Messi in becoming the first pair of MLS teammates to reach that milestone in a season.

The 37-year-old smiled and hugged his teammates as Suarez scored the first goal less than two minutes into the match.

He was shown passing a defender and with one quick touch, he fired a shot from outside the box that Guzan pushed over the crossbar, and then put both hands on his head and looked up into the stands as Guzan denied him again.

The fans were standing for most of the first half. Those closest to the pitch leaned forward with their phones stretched out as far as their arms would allow, taking photos and videos of Messi as he approached.

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AP Football: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer