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Fans have reacted to the heartwarming moment of Los Angeles FC defender Giorgio Chiellini's daughter meeting Inter Miami attacker Lionel Messi following an MLS showdown on Sunday (September 3).
Messi continued his fine start to life at the Herons after arriving on a free transfer following a two-season stint at Paris Saint-Germain. For only the second time in 11 games across competitions, the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner wasn't on the scoresheet.
The 36-year-old, though, more than made up for that with a couple of assists as Miami won 3-1 at the home of LA. Facu Farias opened the scoring for the Herons in the 14th minute, and there would be no looking back.
Moments after being dispossessed by Chiellini, Messi fed his former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba to double Miami's lead in the 51st minute. Seven minutes from time, Messi played in Leonardo Campana to confirm the win. Ryan Hollingshead's 90th-minute strike for LA was nothing but a consolation.
Following the game, Messi and Chiellini shared a warm embrace before the Italian's daughter, Nina, clicked a photo with Messi, clicked by her dad.
It's well known that Parisians fans never really warmed up the Argentine during his two-year stay in the French capital. So, fans are loving the moment of Messi meeting Chiellini's daughter. One fan commented on Brfootball's Instagram post:
"Messi never got this love in Paris.. so glad he’s getting the love he deserves."
Inter Miami boss Tata Martino hopes to remain unbeaten without Lionel Messi in international break
Lionel Messi has made a sizzling start to life at Inter Miami since arriving six weeks ago. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has bagged a rich haul of 11 goals and five assists in 11 games across three different competitions.
During this period, the Herons won the inaugural Leagues Cup - their first-ever title - reached the US Open Cup final, and snapped an 11-game winless run in the MLS. Tata Martino and Co. have won two of their last three league games to move off the foot of the Eastern Conference.
During this run, Messi has been an omnipresent in the lineup, starting nine times, scoring in as many games and not making a goal contribution just once. However, he's now set to leave for international duty, as Argentina play Ecuador on September 7 and Bolivia five days later in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Martino hopes to sustain his unbeaten start as Herons boss without the Argentine, saying (as per GOAL):
“We will try to put together the best performance possible against Kansas City. We’ll also hope that the players leaving come back healthy and well so that we can continue this stretch.”
The Herons next take on Kansas City in the MLS on September 9, a game Lionel Messi is set to miss due to international commitments.
