Lionel Messi (foto: Getty Images)
Lionel Messi returned for Inter Miami just days after his father's death, leaving teammate Casemiro deeply moved by the Argentine's commitment.
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Just days after the death of his father Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi returned to the football pitch. The Argentine star played the second half of Inter Miami's Leagues Cup match against Leon, who won 3-2 to eliminate the MLS side from the competition.
Messi had returned to Argentina following his father's death to say goodbye to the man who accompanied him throughout virtually his entire football journey.
He subsequently travelled back to Miami and, somewhat unexpectedly, took his place on the bench for Inter's very next match.
At the start of the second half, Messi replaced Daniel Pinter and received a huge ovation from the crowd as he entered the pitch.
Casemiro: "That's why he's so great"
Messi's decision to help his team at such a difficult personal moment also surprised his teammates. Casemiro made no attempt to hide his admiration for the 39-year-old Argentine's commitment.
"Of course you're happy when you see Leo in the dressing room. But I have to admit that he really surprised me. His incredible commitment surprised me," the Brazilian said.
Casemiro believes moments like this say a great deal about Messi's character and help explain everything he has achieved during his extraordinary career.
"In the end, you start thinking and you say to yourself: That's why he's so great. That's why he's one of the best in history, if not the greatest of all time. He keeps showing why he's the best. We can only take our hats off to him," Casemiro added.
"All we can do is thank him and continue supporting him. We wish him and his family all the best. What he did for us today, and the fact that he even came here, is truly incredible."
Return comes after emotional farewell
Messi returned to the pitch on the same day that he publicly shared an intensely emotional farewell to his father, who died at the age of 68.
Among the messages he wrote was: "I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I don't know how to move forward."
His comments about his football future attracted even greater attention.
"All I've ever done is play football, but now I seriously doubt I'll be doing it for much longer," Messi wrote.
Those words did not amount to a retirement announcement, but they underlined the emotional impact of his father's death at a time when Messi is already approaching the final stage of his playing career.
His decision to return to action only days later therefore carried significance beyond the result against Leon, with Casemiro's reaction highlighting how much the gesture meant inside the Inter Miami dressing room.