Co-owner David Beckham hugged his wife Victoria and was about to cry after rookie Lionel Messi scored a free kick in the injury time to help Inter Miami win 2-1 against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.

Messi entered the field in the 54th minute, and made the DRV PNK stadium with nearly 21,000 spectators packed in the stands explode in the third minute of injury time. Inter Miami received a direct free kick 23 meters from the goal.

Messi played like his forte, sending the ball to the top corner, out of goalkeeper Andres Gudino’s reach, sealing a 2-1 victory for the home team.

After Messi scored, fireworks were detonated around DRV PNK Stadium, and the audience celebrated passionately. The owner of the seven Golden Balls ran to the right corner to share the joy with his new teammates, then ran to the opposite side of the field to hug his family.

Nearby, Beckham emotionally returned to hug his wife Victoria. The former England midfielder choked up and almost burst into tears. Tennis legend Serena Williams screamed, and reality TV star Kim Kardashian admired the Inter Miami striker’s masterpiece.

“This is something we always dreamed of in our vision, me, Jorge, Jose Mas and the club,” co-owner Beckham told Apple TV+. “This is a special night for us, our family, for everyone on the field. What a great moment for America, the tournament and a proud moment for us.” .

Before the super free kick that decided the match, even though he only played for nearly 40 minutes, Messi still showed his class through impressive statistics. The Argentine striker finished three times with two hits on target, touched the ball 35 times, passed 92% accurately and had one decisive pass (key pass).

“It’s a movie that we’ve seen. Messi always comes out to write movies like that,” said coach Tata Martino. “Messi makes it look completely normal, but it’s not. We’re talking about the greatest player in history.”

“I took off my shirt,” said Kamal Miller – the midfielder who left the field in the 74th minute due to injury. “But when Messi was about to take a free kick, I wore it immediately because I knew Messi would do something special. On the bench, we were like fans, not Messi’s teammates.”

On Instagram, Messi also posted pictures from his Inter Miami debut with the message: “The important thing is to open the Leagues Cup with a win to give to the fans. We will continue.”