It had to be Rodrigo De Paul. As Lionel Messi missed Inter Miami’s game against Monterrey following the passing of his father, Jorge Messi, the Argentine midfielder dedicated his banger of a goal to his best friend.
Missing their best player and the best in the world, Messi, Inter Miami struggled to create many chances against Monterrey. No one could break the deadlock until De Paul unleashed a rocket of a shot from outside the box, finding the bottom-right corner of the net to open the scoring in the Herons’ second game of the 2026 Leagues Cup.
As soon as the ball went in, De Paul removed his shirt. However, instead of showing off his tattoo-filled physique, the Argentine was wearing Messi‘s jersey underneath. De Paul turned his back to the stands and pointed to the number and name on his undershirt, sending a clear message of support to his best friend, who lost his father on Saturday.
On a day when Inter Miami mourned Jorge Messi’s passing, De Paul delivered a tribute that appeared to be taken straight out of a movie script.
Rodrigo De Paul strikes from distance for the opener and honors his friend Leo Messi and his family ❤️ pic.twitter.com/96GEG7XpMh
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 9, 2026
De Paul was booked
Although he was wearing another jersey underneath, De Paul still removed one of his shirts after scoring against Monterrey. As a result, he was shown a yellow card by the referee.
Even though it was still early in the game and getting booked with most of the match left to play carried a risk, De Paul clearly couldn’t care less about the card and was going to honor Messi and his family regardless. Had De Paul scored later while already on a yellow card, he most likely would’ve removed his jersey anyway.
Some things are bigger than soccer, and De Paul made that clear with one of the most emotional moments of the season.
Meant to be
The fact that De Paul was wearing Messi’s jersey underneath his own shows just how confident he was that he would score and get a chance to honor his friend’s family.
De Paul doesn’t score often, which makes it all the more magical. That he scored tonight, of all games, and in the fashion he did made the moment even more special.
In more ways than one, it was reminiscent of one of Messi’s most iconic celebrations, when he wore Diego Armando Maradona’s jersey underneath his own Barcelona shirt days after the Argentine icon passed away in 2020.
