Messi and Beckham celebrate Inter Miami win as Victoria’s feelings made clear

Lionel Messi’s magical start to life with Inter Miami continued on Friday with another goal and a thumping victory to march onto the semi-finals of the Leagues Cup, and the Argentine superstar celebrated in style with David Beckham and his former Barcelona allies. Messi pulled the strings in a one-sided 4-0 win over Major League Soccer rivals Charlotte FC at DRV PNK Stadium, scoring the final goal as he chases his first silverware as a Miami player.

Messi and his teammates – including former Barcelona allies Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba – set up a semi-final showdown with Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on Tuesday, but they took the chance to celebrate their success so far on Friday night. The trio and their partners joined Miami co-owner David Beckham and his wife Victoria for a meal and drinks at Gekko Miami, posing for several pictures that captured the jubilant mood in South Florida since Messi’s arrival.

“I LOVE MIAMI!!! So much fun last night!! Kisses,” Spice Girls star Victoria wrote on Instagram to accompany pictures with Messi’s wife Antonella Roccuzzo and Busquets’ partner Elena Galera. The 49-year-old also shared a snap of her husband alongside Alba, Messi and Busquets toasting another memorable win.

The group was hosted by Miami restaurateur David Grutman and the steak and sushi eatery. He posed for a picture with the football legends past and present and added the caption “Casual Friday”.

Messi, 36, has scored in each of his five appearances for Inter so far, netting eight goals to inspire a team that sits at the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference and was enduring a miserable campaign until he stepped through the door. And that upturn in fortune has only been accelerated by the subsequent arrivals of Catalan legends Busquets and Alba and former Barca and Argentina manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino.

Martino paid tribute to Messi’s impact after Friday’s win, but he believes Miami’s turnaround has been the product of a group effort and not just their star attraction.

“At the start of the tournament there were 47 teams, and Miami, who are in last place in MLS, are in the semi-finals,” Martino said. “I think it speaks to the moment that we have some expectations, as a minimum, of being able to achieve something good here.

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“The truth is that beyond the collective effort of the team, we’re also here because of what he has offered in these last five games. And not only what he gives, but what he generates for his teammates. There’s great confidence in the rest of the players playing with him.”

‘It’s not just Leo – we have found different ways of being able to score… He’s started being a leader with the group, in training, on the field, and I’m not just speaking about sports leadership. There’s a lot of changes because of his presence.”

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