FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The final whistle blew, and Chase Stadium erupted. Inter Miami had just crushed the New York Red Bulls 4-1, snapping a brutal three-game skid that had fans grumbling and pundits circling. The Herons’ pink-clad faithful roared, players swapped high-fives, and the humid Florida night buzzed with relief. But Lionel Messi? He didn’t stick around for the party. The Argentine legend, fresh off a goal and an assist, made a beeline for the locker room, head down, face unreadable, while his teammates soaked in the moment.
It was May 3, 2025, and Inter Miami desperately needed this win. After a crushing exit from the CONCACAF Champions Cup and back-to-back MLS losses, the pressure was suffocating. The Red Bulls, sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference, weren’t exactly pushovers, either—they’d only conceded nine goals in 10 matches before this. But Miami came out swinging. Fafa Picault struck early, pouncing on a flicked cross from Luis Suárez in the ninth minute. Marcelo Weigandt doubled the lead with a scrappy follow-up after his own header was parried. Suárez, snapping a nine-game goal drought, buried a rebound to make it 3-0. The Red Bulls clawed one back through Mohammed Sofo’s looping header just before halftime, but it was a fleeting flicker.
Messi, quiet in the first half, turned it on after the break. In the 67th minute, he linked up with Telasco Segovia for a slick one-two, then rifled a left-footed rocket past Carlos Coronel. It was his first MLS goal since April 6, and it sealed the deal. The crowd, sprinkled with celebs like Patrick Mahomes and Odell Beckham Jr., lost it. Miami’s bench erupted. But when the game ended, Messi didn’t linger. No waves, no fist-pumps—just a brisk walk off the pitch, straight down the tunnel, leaving the celebration to the others.
The Herons’ dominance was clear: 12 shots to the Red Bulls’ 10, six on target to three. Goalkeeper Óscar Ustari barely broke a sweat, making two saves. New York’s road woes continued—they’re now 0-3-2 away this season. Miami, with 21 points, climbed to fourth in the East, while the Red Bulls, stuck at 15, stayed mired in ninth.
Messi’s tunnel dash raised eyebrows. The guy’s a competitor, sure, but this was stark. His teammates lingered, slapping backs and grinning, while he vanished into the shadows of Chase Stadium. No one’s saying why—maybe frustration from the recent losses, maybe just Messi being Messi. Whatever it was, the image stuck: the greatest to ever do it, walking away alone as the party raged on.