Messi’s Crazy Week | OneFootball

What a topsy-turvy six days it’s been for Lionel Messi.

Battling the Polar Vortex

First there were the “inhumane” conditions at the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup against Sporting Kansas City last Wednesday (2/19). Apparently the legend was forced to consume KC BBQ at the team dinner. Just kidding. It was really, really cold on the pitch, with temps around 5F (-15C). One of the coldest ever. Still, he scored the game winner in dramatic fashion, controlling a long pass off his chest, touching past the defender and firing a precision shot on his weaker right foot.

The Argentinian star then had to suffer the indignity of the referee asking him for his jersey after the final whistle. For the record, the referee was given a six-month ban for trying to kill the world’s most famous player by exposing him to more cold.

A Raucous Start to the Season

Three days later, in the MLS season opener against New York City FC, Messi’s extremities and temper had thawed. He had some choice words for referee Alexis Da Silva after the game was over. Da Silva had sent off teammate Tomás Avilés for confusing futbol with football, tackling an attacker and denying a breakaway. This was a few minutes after Messi had given Avilés the assist in the opening goal. Apparently granting Inter Miami eleven minutes of stoppage time (during which Messi set-up Telasco Segovia’s equalizing goal) wasn’t enough to soothe Messi’s ruffled feathers towards the official, and he received a yellow card for his remonstration.

He then proceeded to grab the back of the neck of NYCFC assistant coach Mehdi Ballouchy not once, but twice, while debating recipes for chimichurri. The MLS just announced today that he would receive a fine of “an undisclosed amount” for this behavior (not because he makes his chimichurri with cilantro, which is viewed by some as anathema).

Kansas City Rematch

Tonight (2/25) the reverse fixture vs. SKC was played in Fort Lauderdale. With the benefit of proper cuisine and a temperate climate, Messi was able to produce an absolute banger of a goal in the 18th minute, jumpstarting his team’s eventual 3 – 1 victory.

Without doubt, 2025 will be a banner year for the diminutive but dynamic midfielder. He’s in his final contract year with the Herons and is richer than Donald Trump (don’t tell him or he will commence deportation). It’s clear he still loves the game and is eager to prove that he’s still got “it” – in the league and in the upcoming Club World Cup. Notching two goals and two assists in three games is a good way to start.