Inter Miami's Lionel Messi gets by CF Montreal defender Joel Waterman on Saturday in Montreal.
Bienvenue Leo. Come back early and often.
Lionel Messi’s first appearance on Canadian soil arrived Saturday night, 21 seasons into his wondrous career, his magical little life. In some corners it was heralded as an occasion to match Muhammad Ali’s first trip north or Pelé’s Canadian debut.
But with visits to Vancouver and Toronto already on the list for 2024, and Messi’s Argentina facing Canada in June’s Copa America opener, Saturday night at Stade Saputo was more of a let’s-get-familiar thing. Montreal duly made him and Inter Miami welcome. Not welcome enough to add to his recordshattering run of MLS goals and assists, but a 3-2 victory for the visitors ended with huge swathes of a sellout crowd chanting his name.
A historic evening had started in the very same fashion.
Somewhere around 5:45 p.m. a slow roar rumbled up Rue Sherbrooke Est. The chants of “Messi, Messi” took time to gather steam only because the perimeter around which fans had gathered was pushed 80 metres back from its usual place — and then fortified. “It’s a footballer, not the bloody G7!” a regular visitor quipped upon reaching the added layers of fencing.
Still, up the roar rumbled and with it came Miami’s team bus. When Messi and his All-Stars alighted — former Barcelona teammates Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets added to the roster along with currently injured Jordi Alba to make the Argentine feel at home — things got really loud. They’d been loud the night before, too, when hundreds gathered to catch a glimpse of Messi getting off the same bus at the team’s Ritz-Carlton base here.
This story is from the May 12, 2024 edition of Toronto Star.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 12, 2024 edition of Toronto Star.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Macron trip aims to build ties with Germany
State visit by French president is first in 24 years
Home is where the regressive content is
Meet the 'tradwife' influencers who glamorize women's domesticity
Who wants to be a MILLIONAIRE
Even if money is tight, investing can be the key to financial freedom in the future - just start out small
'We're going to fight to the end'
Pacers determined to make history despite 3-0 deficit
Déjà vu in Indianapolis
Newgarden leaves scandal behind with second straight win at Brickyard
Canada falls short of medal at worlds
Canada left the world men's hockey championship empty-handed.
Canadians should rally behind Oilers
Nation's last Stanley Cup hope includes McDavid. Isn't that reason enough to cheer?
What if offence isn't the problem?
Hits and losses pile up with White Sox on deck
Death toll in Kharkiv attack rises to 14 as Zelenskyy warns of troop movements
KYIV, UKRAINE President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Sunday that Russia is preparing to intensify its offensive along Ukraine’s northern border, as the death toll rose to 14 in an aerial bomb attack on a large construction supplies store in the city of Kharkiv.
Israeli airstrike kills 35 people in Rafah as displaced are hit
WAFAA SHURAFA, TIA GOLDENBERG AND SAMY MAGDY