Messi Miami winner racks up more than 40M views on Twitter

What better way to mark your debut at a new club & new league than with an added time winning goal. That’s what Messi delivered for Inter Miami on his debut.

Lionel Messi made his Inter Miami debut on Friday night coming on in the second half of the Leagues Cup clash against Mexican side Cruz Azul.

With the game tied at 1-1 and the clock running down, the South Florida side were awarded a free kick just outside the Cruz Azul box. There was little doubt about who would take the kick as the Argentine duly struck the ball into the top corner of the Cruz Azul net despite the best efforts of the Mexican keeper.

The 22,000 capacity crowd at the DRV PNK Stadium which included the likes of LeBron James, Serena Williams, Marc Anthony and Kim Kardashian were delirious with joy aware that they were witnessing a truly special moment in the history of soccer in the US.

The official MLS Twitter account duly tweeted the footage of the goal shortly after and less than 24 hours after the game, the tweet has been viewed more than 41 million times.

The posting of action footage is a common practice in most US sports with the organisations such as the NBA, MLB and NFL anxious to share spectacular dunks, home runs or touchdowns with fans via social media and this philosophy clashes with many European based leagues and media outlets who geo-block content.

Leo Messi’s arrival in MLS will certainly boost the profile of the sport Stateside with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon and his perfect debut and the subsequent coverage will only serve to enhance the MLS brand.