Referee Asks Messi for His Jersey After Historic Match
After the final whistle, Mexican referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava approached the Argentine legend, Lionel Messi, to ask for his jersey.
In the football world, Messi’s jersey is one of the most coveted souvenirs, with players and fans worldwide eager to get their hands on it. But this time, something unusual happened—it was the referee who asked for Messi’s jersey!
This took place after Inter Miami’s 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City in the opening round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Messi, the captain of Miami, scored the only goal of the match on Thursday morning (Bangladesh time).
Messi played the full 90 minutes, and after the final whistle, referee Ortiz Nava approached him for the coveted shirt. Messi, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, agreed to the request.
However, Ortiz Nava had to wait a while to receive the prized jersey. Messi first headed to the dressing room before agreeing to hand it over.
There was, of course, a good reason for the delay. The stadium temperature was only three degrees Celsius, and during halftime, it felt like minus eight degrees.
After the match, Miami coach Javier Mascherano described playing in such conditions as “inhuman”.
This was Messi’s first goal of the year in competitive football. He will return to the field on Saturday, when Inter Miami faces New York City FC in their first Major League Soccer match of the season.
