Messi wasn’t iconic in Inter Miami’s win against Charlotte FC; he didn’t need to be

It’s easy to get caught up in the nuts and bolts of Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami. In the amount of money involved, or the potential effect his presence might have on the profile of Major League Soccer, a league still fighting for relevance in the United States. It’s easy to talk about sponsorship money, or clicks, or page views.

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On Friday night, though, in the moments leading up to Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup quarterfinal match against Charlotte FC, there was a moment that felt a bit more pure than all of that. Amidst a sea of shirtless, overgrown children banging drums and drinking beer stood an actual kid, maybe eight years old. He held a pink piece of posterboard aloft bearing a simple message, scribbled in black marker: “Messi, quiero darte un abrazo.” The kid wanted to give Messi a hug.

Messi, of course, was adored before he even arrived in Miami. Aside from a sizable crop of Cristiano Ronaldo loyalists, adulation for Messi has long been almost universal. What he did on Friday — put in another brilliant shift during Miami’s resounding 4-0 victory over Charlotte — only deepened Miami’s growing infatuation with their No. 10.

In that regard, Friday could represent the first time Inter Miami experienced what the everyday, “normal” Messi experience might look like – no instantly-iconic free kick, no willing the team to a two-goal comeback, and no getting angry. Just solid, dependable play, an important win, and sure, why not, a goal to go with it.

Miami, which currently sits at the bottom of the MLS regular season table, has not lost in any of the five Leagues Cup matches Messi has featured in, scoring 17 goals in that span with Messi scoring eight of those. The win moves Miami one step closer to its