Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and Newell's Old Boys Play Out 1-1 Draw in Friendly

Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi returned to the starting lineup for the MLS club on Thursday in a 1-1 home draw with his Argentine boyhood club, Newell’s Old Boys.

It was an emotional match for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who supported Old Boys as a youth and played for them from 1995 to 2000 before joining Barcelona.

With the stadium packed with fans excited to see Messi play, the 36-year-old star did not have much affect on the game. He missed a free kick in the first half, but looked healthy, surging forward and slicing through opponents with ease.

Messi checked out of the game Thursday with Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez in the 60th minute. That’s when a young fan sprinted onto the field with his arms stretched toward Messi before being intercepted by security.

The 36-year-old striker, who sparked Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, returned to Miami’s starting 11 after fighting through a groin injury that caused him to sit out a friendly in Hong Kong earlier this month.

Messi came off the bench in a later Inter Miami match in Japan but was back among the starters for the MLS club’s final pre-season match.

After a scoreless first half, Inter Miami grabbed a 1-0 lead on Shanyder Borgelin’s goal in the 64th minute.

The 22-year-old Haitian forward leaped high over a defender to nod home a perfect corner kick from Finnish midfielder Robert Taylor.

Newell’s equalized on Argentine midfielder Franco Martin Diaz’s goal in the 83rd minute, a blast into the bottom right corner from the heart of the box.

Inter Miami will play host to Real Salt Lake on Wednesday in the MLS regular-season opener.

Inter Miami will now turn its attention to the 2024 regular season, hoping for better success after fizzling late last season. The club will host Real Salt Lake on Feb. 21.

(With inputs from Agencies)