Lionel Messi came off the bench as a second-half substitute in Inter Miami's Leagues Cup match against Léon, marking his first on-pitch appearance since the death of his father.

Despite the return of the Argentina superstar, the Herons were defeated by the Liga MX squad, 3-2, which eliminated them from the competition. Only the top four clubs from the MLS standings and the top four from Liga MX will advance to the quarterfinals.

Jorge Messi, who passed away last week at 68, served as Lionel Messi's agent during the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's career.

In an emotional post on Instagram remembering his father, Lionel Messi stated: "I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I don’t know how to carry on. All I ever did was play football, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer."

The 39-year-old Argentina superstar striker, who won the 2022 World Cup, are coming off a extra-time loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup Final.

Messi, who's one of just two players to appear in six World Cups (Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo is the other), tallied eight goals and four assists across eight matches in the 2026 World Cup.

Messi is in the midst of his third full-time season and fourth season altogether with Inter Miami in MLS. Through 15 matches in the 2026 MLS season, Messi has totaled 12 goals and seven assists.

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