Inter Miami midfielder Yannick Bright has shared how it felt to see captain Lionel Messi return to action for the club against Leon. The 39-year-old played for his club just four days after his father, Jorge, passed away in Rosario after a protracted illness.
Bright spoke to reporters after the Herons suffered a 3-2 defeat to the Liga MX side to crash out of the Leagues Cup. He admitted that he was not expecting to see Messi back so soon, and that seeing him turn up for the game motivated him to want to do more to help the team.
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“I wasn’t expecting it. It shows how much he cares. When I saw he was here, all I was thinking about was to give my 150% for him.
“It’s a tough situation. We try to stay close to him and support him as much as we can, but it’s a lot”, he said.
Lionel Messi was surprisingly named on the bench for the encounter after coach Guillermo Hoyos told reporters on the day before the game that he was unsure of when the superstar would return. He was introduced into the game at halftime, replacing goalscorer Daniel Pinter for the remainder of the encounter.
Italian midfielder Bright also featured for the Herons and found the net in another impressive outing for the 24-year-old. His interview showed that Messi’s return was not planned, and he chose to come back to try to help the team.
Lionel Messi returns as Inter Miami crash out of Leagues Cup
Inter Miami’s hopes of Leagues Cup glory came to an end as they lost 3-2 to Leon in their third and final group game. The Herons had captain Lionel Messi back with the squad but could not manage to overcome their Mexican opponents.
Fresh from a 2–1 defeat to Monterrey, the Herons went ahead after 42 minutes through Daniel Pinter. Daniel Arcila responded for Leon five minutes into the second half, getting the scores back level.
Yannick Bright restored the lead for Inter Miami in the 53rd minute, before Juan Dominguez equalised for Leon just eight minutes later. The Mexicans would have the last laugh, as Arcila netted the winner in the 85th minute to condemn Lionel Messi and Co to successive defeats. They have now crashed out of the Leagues Cup while Leon will advance, having won all three of their games so far.
Edited by Sulayman Salahudeen