- Messi was reportedly set to skip the freezing conditions but played 90 minutes
Lionel Messi played in the coldest game of his career on Wednesday night as his Inter Miami opened their season in absolutely frigid conditions.
When the Herons’ CONCACAF Champions Cup first round clash at Sporting Kansas City kicked off, it was just 6 degrees Fahrenheit (-14C) in Kansas City, with a real feel of -9 degrees.
Messi wore a neck warmer during the game, and appeared to say something to the referee about the weather before the game, as his breath was visible in the air.
The blisteringly cold matchup comes after the game was actually postponed a day due to extreme weather conditions in Kansas, as roughly a half-foot of snowfall and wind chill as bad as 25 degrees below zero had been expected for Tuesday.
In a statement announcing the game had been pushed back a day, CONCACAF said the decision was made ‘to prioritize player and fan safety, and in close coordination with the two participating clubs and the local authorities.’
Due to the colder climates around the United States and the February-to-December (including playoffs) schedule of MLS, extreme cold weather is far more common in American soccer than in Europe or especially South America.
Lionel Messi played in temperatures well below freezing on Wednesday in Kansas City
Messi wore a neck warmer and did not look thrilled with the conditions – but scored in the game
Messi celebrates with teammate Tadeo Allende after scoring the game’s lone goal
The US men’s national team played Honduras in just 2F (-16C) temperatures in 2022, while other MLS and national team games have also been played in snow.
That, at least, was not an issue for Messi on Wednesday as the field at Children’s Mercy Park was completely clear of any snow.
And the Argentine star proved he could still get it done in the unusual conditions as he scored the lone goal of the first leg match inside the 56th minute.
Messi chested down a ball from Sergio Busquets, got the ball onto his right foot and slotted it into the lower far corner before he and his teammates embraced in the freezing cold conditions.
The 37-year-old scored 20 league goals last year and won MVP, but only started 15 of 34 games due to international commitments and injuries.
Miami begin their MLS season on Saturday against New York City FC.
