Messi dropped a masterpiece for the Argentina national team against Peru, then flew back to Florida to support his club teammates.

Lionel Messi is many things. An unstoppable dribbler, an ingenious playmaker, a ruthless goalscorer. But one of his most important traits sometimes doesn’t get talked about enough: he’s a great teammate.

When Messi joined Inter Miami during the summer, many believed he was ready to take a backseat at club level and cruise until the end of his career. He quickly put to bed any of those doubts, playing as hard as ever for Miami and leading them to their first-ever trophy. A hamstring injury soured the end of his and Inter Miami’s season, but they still have two matches left before it concludes.

Messi teleports from Argentina to Fort Lauderdale

Messi wasn’t able to play on Wednesday night when Inter Miami faced Charlotte FC, but the Argentinian was present at DRV PNK Stadium, supporting his Inter teammates.

It wasn’t even a full day ago that Messi scored twice against Peru in a 2026 World Cup qualifier. Messi started the game and played all 90-plus minutes, signaling his return to full strength following the hamstring injury.

A 22-hour turnaround, including a flight from Buenos Aires to Fort Lauderdale, was too much for even the superhuman Messi. Even though Miami can’t qualify for the playoffs, Messi is expected to play in the team’s final regular season match on Saturday in Charlotte.

Fans’ next chance to watch Messi will come in early November, when Inter Miami travel to China for their first international tour. Messi will then gear up for Argentina’s toughest qualifying stretch: home versus Uruguay and away at the Maracana against Brazil.