Lionel Messi’s brilliance was once again on display on Tuesday night, as the Argentine found the back of the net again in **Inter Miami CF**’s win over **Atlanta United FC** at Leagues Cup 2023. The Argentine would score twice and register an assist in the 4-0 rout, which sealed the Florida outfit’s spot in the playoffs.
But Messi also stood out in the build-up to the game. A few minutes before kick-off, as the teams were coming out onto the DRV PNK Stadium pitch, one of the mascots was visibly overwhelmed with emotion as he walked out with Messi. The World Cup winner would react by consoling the young supporter, as he looked ahead to his second appearance in the competition.
The boy was part of the group that was picked to accompany the players as they went out onto the pitch. Everything had been going smoothly, when the fan who was assigned to Leo burst into tears.
At that point, the Argentinian star sensed his emotion and spoke into his ear to reassure him. The boy’s response was a thumbs-up, but the emotion came flooding back as he made an effort to hold back the tears. Leo took him by the shoulders and consoled him, and the cameras captured the emotional moment.
Less than ten minutes after that moment, Messi would open the scoring and set his team on their way to a second win, and into the next round of Leagues Cup 2023.
