Lionel Messi and Inter Miami faced a scary moment on Saturday night.
During Inter Miami’s match against Montreal, Messi, known as the world’s best player, left the field briefly in the first half due to an issue with his left knee. It happened around the 40th minute when he was fouled by Montreal’s George Campbell.
Medical staff attended to Messi on the field, and although he was in pain, he walked off the field on his own after a couple of minutes. Surprisingly, he didn’t leave the game and returned shortly after.
When Messi left, Inter Miami was trailing 2-0, but they managed to score a goal shortly after his departure, closing the gap to 2-1. Matías Rojas scored the goal, a shot that Messi might have taken if he were still in the game.
Messi rejoined the match a few minutes later and was on the field when Luis Suarez scored a goal just before halftime, tying the game 2-2.
This match was significant because it was Messi’s first time playing in Canada. The anticipation was high, with Montreal selling out its season tickets for the first time since joining MLS in 2012, partly due to Messi’s presence in Major League Soccer since last summer.