Lionel Messi, accompanied by teammates Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez, took a break from their soccer duties to attend the Miami Heat playoff game against the Boston Celtics on Monday night.
The Inter Miami star and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, recognized as the world’s best player, arrived just before tip-off. Their group, some sporting Heat attire with Busquets donning a Heat hoodie, entered through a VIP entrance and settled into a suite atop the lower level of the arena.
While Messi has previously visited the arena for other events, this marked his first attendance at a Heat game since relocating to Miami last year.
Inter Miami currently leads the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer with a record of 6-2-3, boasting the most points in the league.
In his recent performance, Messi contributed two goals and an assist in Inter Miami’s 4-1 victory against New England. Remarkably, he has recorded multiple goal contributions in five consecutive matches, a feat never achieved before in MLS history. This season, Messi has tallied nine goals and seven assists in seven matches for Inter Miami.
With a career total of over 800 goals for club and country, Messi stands as one of soccer’s greatest scorers. Notably, he played a pivotal role in leading Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup, scoring twice in the final against France, which ended in a 3-3 draw with Argentina prevailing 4-2 on penalty kicks.
