Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez watched the Super Bowl 2025 with Inter Miami teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets less than 24 hours after both strikers scored to help give new manager Javier Mascherano a fourth win in four pre-season games.
Reports before Super Bowl LIX had suggested that Messi had been hoping to have time to reach the NFL championship game at the New Orleans Superdome, where the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Chelo ➡️ Suárez ➡️ Messi💥
Tras un gran pase del Chelo, Lucho se la deja en bandeja de plata a Messi para nuestro primer gol de la noche 💗 pic.twitter.com/fqAv1pC1r0
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 9, 2025
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner traveled from the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, where he scored and provided two assists in a 5-0 win over Olimpia on Saturday, to be at the showpiece with fellow starters Suarez and Busquets.
Wideman Alba did not feature at Olimpia after being injured in a game in Panama the previous week, although he did take part in two subsequent open training sessions.
Leo Messi in the building ⚽️
📺: #SBLIX – 6:30pm ET on FOX
📱: Tubi + NFL app pic.twitter.com/GlT3ELBFVg— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2025
When he was asked about the prospect of Messi attending before the game, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes called the World Cup winner the greatest soccer player of all time and spoke of his excitement at performing in front of the Miami captain.
Olimpia vs Inter Miami
MLS team Miami’s Americas pre-season tour has also sent them to Peru, with Messi’s involvement drawing huge crowds to their games ahead of the start of the league season on February 22.
🚨Watch: Lionel Messi stars in a new commercial for Apple and MLS wearing Inter Miami’s latest jersey! 🐐🔥pic.twitter.com/6jwMZ913ro
— Inter Miami News Hub (@Intermiamicfhub) February 10, 2025
Uruguay legend Suarez set up Messi for the 27th-minute opener at Olimpia before the Argentina icon provided goals for compatriot Federico Redondo in the 44th minute and Noah Allen during first-half added time.
Suarez scored his first goal of pre-season nine minutes after the break and substitute Ryan Sailor netted the final goal 11 minutes from time.
GOOOL 💥 U RU GUA YO !!!! 🇺🇾✨ @LuisSuarez9 pic.twitter.com/iEmLkDmYI6
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 9, 2025
Messi became Barcelona’s all-time top scorer between 2004 and 2021, while Suarez won the 2014/15 Champions League among a string of honours with the Spanish giants from 2014 until 2020.
Midfielder Busquets spent 15 years and Alba 11 years at Camp Nou until 2023, winning every major trophy available to them at least once.
Super Bowl 🏈 pic.twitter.com/83vR4xIEiF
— Jordi Alba (@JordiAlba) February 9, 2025
Mascherano, who was at Barcelona between 2010 and 2018 and reached the 2014 Fifa World Cup final as an Argentina midfielder, was named Miami boss on November 26 in his first senior managerial role.
Miami visit Orlando City in a friendly on Saturday (7.30pm ET) before travelling to Sporting Kansas City in the Concacaf Champions League on February 19 (8pm) and hosting New York City in their MLS opener three days later (2.30pm).
