‘I felt scared’ – Lionel Messi makes honest admission after Inter Miami heroics

Lionel Messi has admitted that he was ‘scared’ to play in Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup semi-final win against Orlando City.

The footballing icon came back from injury to provide some game-saving heroics for Miami to book a spot in the final.

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Messi had been sidelined for 10 days after worsening his hamstring injury during a comeback against LA Galaxy on August 17.

He had spent two weeks on the sidelines before that game, with his second-half cameo ending up setting him back again.

The Argentinian icon returned to action for a second time on Wednesday, though, and he saved Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup.

Miami were trailing fellow MLS side Orlando City until the 77th minute when Messi stepped up to equalise from the penalty spot.

He then scored a brilliant goal to turn the tie on its head in the 88th minute, before Telasco Segovia added a third in stoppage time.

It meant Messi and co. booked their spot in the Leagues Cup final with a 3-1 win, as they aim to lift their second title in the competition.

The goals in the semi-final came late for Miami and that may have down to the fact that their superstar was a little worried to start.

Messi revealed that he was playing with fear in the opening stages of the game, as he continues to recover from his injury.

“Honestly, in the first-half, I felt a little scared. But in the second-half, I loosened up a bit,” the footballing legend told Apple TV.

“I wanted to be here. Ever since I came back against the Galaxy, I felt discomfort there and didn’t feel comfortable.

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“I prepared myself to play this game because I knew how important it was.

“It was really important to be here because it’s a difficult opponent, they’d beaten us in the two games we played against them this year.”

Inter Miami are now set to take on Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup final on Sunday night.

Should Messi help his team, who are co-owned by David Beckham, lift the trophy for a second time, he’d extend his all-time record.

The 38-year-old has won 46 titles in his incredible career, which is the most for any single player in the history of the game.

Miami won the Leagues Cup in 2023 before going on to be knocked out of the competition in the round of 16 last year.

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‘Lost for words’

Inter Miami were without their manager, Javier Mascherano, on the touchline for the game as he served a suspension.

But coach Javier Morales stepped in to cover for Mascherano and he piled praise on Messi for his performance after limited training.

“We are at a loss for words when it comes to discussing Leo,” he said.

“He trained only two or three days and then he played 90 minutes and the way he played, created situations, scoring goals.

“There is nothing more to say. For us, and for the fans, it’s a privilege to have him on our team.

“We are always excited to win and now we have an opportunity to take home a trophy.”

Messi’s long-time teammate Sergio Busquets also paid tribute to the maestro when speaking about his heroics post-match.

Busquets said: “I don’t know if he was at 100 per cent, coming off an injury after being inactive for a bit. But look at what he’s done.”

Miami defender Ian Fray added: “He’s been doing this for so long.

“It’s super impressive that he’s still doing it at this age. It’s incredible.”