Lionel Messi will return to action this Saturday with Inter Miami after closing a historic period with the Argentine national team. Las Garzas will host Atlanta United at Chase Stadium for the twenty-fourth matchday of the MLS, in a match that will also have a special component due to the return of Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino to Miami.
The Argentine star will arrive at the match after starring in a memorable performance against CF Montreal. Messi scored four goals in a 7-1 victory, becoming the first player in Inter Miami history to hit a four-way.
His return to the club takes on an even greater dimension after his recent farewell to the Albiceleste team, a decision that has generated enormous repercussions in world football.
“He marked the path of football history for us,” said Guillermo Hoyos, interim coach of Inter Miami, when referring to Messi and his legacy with Argentina.
“We are very melancholic and very hurt by this situation because we love him so much and we always want to see him with the colors of the national team. He really gave us many things, he taught us love for the country and there are no words left to thank him,” he added.
Hoyos took charge of the team in April and now faces the challenge of keeping Inter Miami in the fight for the Supporters’ Shield. The Florida team needs to close the gap with Nashville, current leader of the standings, which maintains a 10-point lead with 12 regular season games remaining.
The return of ‘Tata’ Martino to Miami
The match will also mean Martino’s return to the stadium that was his home for the past few seasons. The Argentine coach coached Inter Miami and became the first coach Messi had in the United States.
During his time leading the Florida team, Martino led the team to establish a record of 74 points in the 2024 regular season, although that campaign ended with a premature elimination in the playoffs.
Now, from the Atlanta United bench, he will have to find a way to stop Messi who is going through a great moment.
Martino acknowledged the difficulty of the challenge and joked about how difficult it is to contain the Argentine for an entire match.
“I told the players that if we control the game for 89 minutes we are likely to lose it,” he commented.
The coach was even more forceful when analyzing the impact of the Inter Miami captain: “No team is capable of neutralizing him for the 92 or 93 minutes of a game, there is always a moment in which it will be decisive.”
Embolo, another attraction of the party
Atlanta United could present one of its main additions of the second transfer window. The Swiss Breel Embolo has already trained with his new teammates and aims to be available to face Messi and Rodrigo De Paul.
The duel will also mark a new chapter after the intense confrontation between Switzerland and Argentina in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, played just a few months ago.
Inter Miami also took advantage of the latest market movements to reinforce its squad with the Brazilian Riquelme Fillipi and the Paraguayan Matías Galarza.
Fillipi is still completing the necessary procedures to obtain his visa, while Galarza is already in the United States and can join the team.
With Messi once again as the main focus of attention, Inter Miami will face Atlanta in a day marked by the Argentine’s return to club competition after his farewell to the national team.
