Lionel Messi had a fantastic second game with Inter Miami on July 25. The Argentinian legend scored twice and added an assist as Miami routed Atlanta United 4-0 in the Leagues Cup. As with his debut, the crowd was a veritable who's who of famous faces. This included DJ Khaled, whose son Asahd served as Messi's pre-game mascot.
However, the moment quickly went viral as the 7-year-old appeared to get overwhelmed by the moment. Messi was quick to react, checking in on the kid as they stood in the team lineup. Fans quickly shared the image of Asahd giving Messi a thumbs up as he regained his composure. "I’m so proud of my son @asahdkhaled bless 🆙 @leomessi !!!! WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LETS GO PLAY SOCCER ⚽️ THANK YOU @davidbeckham love forever!," the elder Khaled wrote on Instagram. The caption accompanied a video taken from inside the tunnel. Khaled posted several more videos of Asahd interacting with Messi before and after the game.
Messi Continues To Impress In Miami
The July 25 win marked three goals and an assist in two games for Messi. That already puts him fourth on Inter Miami's scoring leaders for the season. However, the performances come with a caveat. Few teams are taking the Leagues Cup as seriously as Inter Miami. Most teams are instead focusing on avoiding injuries ahead of the MLS restart in late August.
That will be the real test for Messi and Miami. The team is dead last in the league standings and hasn't won a league game since mid-May. They are 12 points outside the playoffs and it remains to be seen if Messi alone is the answer to their prayers. After all, while Messi is a resilient player, he already played a 41-game season before joining Miami. The most games that Messi has ever played in a single season was 60 during the 2011-12 campaign. Sooner or later, Miami is going to have to implement some form of load management.
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