Inter Miami's Rodrigo De Paul pays tribute to Lionel Messi's father after scoring against Monterrey; Watch video

Inter Miami were without their star player Lionel Messi during their Leagues Cup match against Mexican side Monterrey in Miami on Saturday.

Lionel Messi's absence was felt as Inter Miami lost 2-1 to Monterrey. Messi missed the game following the passing away of his father Jorge Messi.

Rodrigo De Paul opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with a right-footed strike from outside the box after receiving a pass from Casemiro.

Immediately after scoring, De Paul lifted his Inter Miami shirt to reveal a No. 10 Messi jersey underneath. The gesture was a tribute to Messi following the death of his father.

De Paul was shown a yellow card for removing his shirt during the celebration. The decision is consistent with the International Football Association Board's Law 12, which states that a player must be cautioned for removing the shirt or covering the head with the shirt during a goal celebration. The rule applies even if the player is wearing another shirt underneath.

Ahead of the match, both the teams observed a minute of silence to pay respect to Jorge Messi. The Inter Miami players even wore black armbands. “Our hearts are with our captain, Leo, and the entire Messi family,” Inter Miami said via a statement.

Jorge Messi's role in Lionel Messi's footballing career

Jorge Messi played an important role throughout his son's football career. He accompanied Lionel to Barcelona when the youngster travelled to Spain for a trial with the club's youth academy in the early 2000s.

Jorge subsequently became his son's representative and handled important aspects of his professional career and business affairs.

Lionel Messi had been diagnosed with a growth deficiency as a child and required hormone treatment. Jorge was involved in seeking opportunities that would allow his son to continue his football development, eventually taking him to Barcelona for the trial that led to his move to the club's youth system.

Jorge later negotiated contracts for Messi and was involved in his transfers to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami, as well as the management of his image rights and business interests.

Jorge's health had already been a private concern for the Messi family during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

After Messi became emotional following Argentina's opening-match victory over Algeria, he said his tears were connected to difficult personal circumstances rather than football. The family later confirmed that Jorge was dealing with a health issue while asking for privacy.

Coming back to the match, Inter Miami later surrendered their lead after second half goals from Hugo Cuypers and Diego Rossi helped Monterrey script an excellent 2-1 comeback victory.

Inter Miami will next be in action on Wednesday, when they host Mexican side Neon in another match of the Leagues Cup Phase One stage.