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Analysis
- 15 hours ago
Lionel Messi’s friendly farce: Inter Miami game descends into chaos
Robin Bairner
- 27 Feb 2026 07:38 CST
- 2 min read
News
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami were involved in a chaotic friendly encounter against Independiente del Valle in Puerto Rico on Thursday in a fixture played several days after the first MLS match of the season.
The fixture had been due to be played on 13 February but was postponed because Messi was unavailable due to a hamstring issue.
Although he did not start this clash, he did come off the bench to score what proved to be the winning penalty kick in the second half of the game.
But there was far more than Messi’s decisive contribution to talk about come full time.
Current ETV
Lionel Messi
F (CR)
Inter Miami
Lionel Messi
F (CR)
Inter Miami
ETV Range
€12.5M - €15.3M
Uniform confusion
The first striking aspect of the match was that both teams were wearing virtually the same kit, making it almost impossible for spectators to distinguish between the sides.
Both were decked out in black shirts with black shorts and black stockings, making for a highly confusing watch.
This confusion regarding the uniforms of the two teams had prompted kick-off to be delayed for a full hour. Despite this hold-up, there was apparently no resolution to the issue.
Late pitch invasion
With two minutes of the game remaining, the fixture reached a farcical conclusion. Spectators started to rush onto the field towards Messi.
A shirtless fan outsprinted the security guards to and knocked the Barcelona legend to the ground with a hug, while two more asked for a selfie and an autograph.
While none of Messi’s Inter Miami team-mates seemed keen to intervene, Carlos Gonzalez of Independiente sorted the mayhem out as he led Messi away from a small group of onrushing fans that was now being effectively dealt with by security.
What next for Messi and Inter Miami?
Inter Miami are in action against Orlando City on Sunday in a Florida derby match.
The Herons began the defence of their MLS title against LAFC last weekend but suffered a 3-0 defeat to Heung Min-son’s side.
