We know Lionel Messi remains an otherworldly footballer – but Tuesday night showed he still has that fire in his belly.
Besides another two goals during Inter Miami’s 3-1 victory over Orlando City, the 36-year-old superstar got angry – and not just once.
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Messi opened the scoring in the seventh minute, before Cesar Araujo levelled things up ten minutes later.
Moments before half-time, Messi flattened Araujo with a brutal challenge, and footage showed the pair exchanging heated words as they walked down the tunnel.
Uruguayan Araujo was not the only South American to rile up the Argentina icon during the Leagues Cup match.
In the second-half, after a Josef Martinez penalty and another Messi goal made it 3-1 to Inter Miami, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star was seen having an angry chat with Brazilian Felipe Martins.
To many, Messi’s move to the United States indicated the end of his elite playing career – and a shift towards the twilight years.
However, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who won the World Cup in December, clearly does not intend on winding down.
Meanwhile, his teammate DeAndre Yedlin explained the full extent of Messi’s impact during his short time at Inter Miami.
“He just gives everybody confidence around him,” Yedlin told Apple’s MLS Season Pass after the game.
“You know you can give him balls in difficult situations and he’s gonna make something out of it.Â
“And I think on the flip side of it, the teams that we’re playing against, it puts a bit of fear in their eyes so they’re on their heels a bit, they’re dropping back a bit more and it gives us a little bit more space to play.”
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