When Lionel Messi and Inter Miami return to action this weekend for ‘Sunday Night Soccer” in Houston, a couple of opposing players will be living out their dreams on the same pitch.
Houston Dynamo defender Franco Escobar and striker Ezequiel Ponce hail from Rosario, Argentina, like Messi. They started their journeys in soccer with hometown club, Newell’s Old Boys, like Messi.
They can’t wait to shake Messi’s hand, give him a hug, face him in the heat of battle and even ask for his jersey after the Dynamo host Inter Miami at 7 p.m. ET Sunday in Shell Energy Stadium.
Escobar may even lift his shorts above his right thigh to show his personal tribute — a massive tattoo of Messi kissing the World Cup trophy.
“It’s going to be something very beautiful for me that will remain in my memories until the day I no longer play. For me, the best player in history,” Escobar said of Messi during an interview with USA TODAY Sports. ‘It’s something very beautiful that doesn’t happen every day, and it’s going to be a very beautiful game and a very beautiful memory for me and for all of us.”
Escobar — who won MLS Cup titles with Atlanta United (2018) and Los Angeles FC (2022) before joining Houston in 2023 — always wanted a Messi tattoo. He watched the last World Cup intently, like all of Argentina did, hoping Messi would have the defining moment of his legendary career.
When he looks at his thigh, Escobar thinks of how Messi dropped to his knees in relief and exhaustion, celebrating after Argentina beat Kylian Mbappe and France in a thrilling penalty shootout at the historic Qatar final.
The 30-year-old MLS veteran almost never thinks about the four hours he endured or the roughly $400 he spent in Argentina for the ink job about a month after the World Cup win.
‘It hurt a lot, but the result was worth the pain,” Escobar said with pride.
‘The truth is that I admire him a lot. I always hoped and was confident that he was going to win the World Cup with Argentina, and that was the tattoo I was waiting for. He has to have the biggest trophy in football. He has to have it. He’s the best. Then, thank God, he was able to win it and make us all happy.”
Messi will be on center stage in the second edition of ‘Sunday Night Soccer” — a primetime showcase created by Major League Soccer and Apple TV this season. The league had a memorable debut when expansion side San Diego FC took down the defending champion L.A. Galaxy last week.
Slowing Messi – who has started the year with two goals and two assists in three matches – will be imperative for the Dynamo players. Houston (0-0-1) and Inter Miami (0-1-0) each are looking for their first MLS win of the season.
Escobar knows he’ll be up against the same thing he loves the most about Messi: His tireless desire to win.
‘It’s going to be difficult. It’s very difficult to mark him, to control him. It’s almost impossible, if not impossible. I’ll try to put aside the fanaticism and admiration one has for him for just 90 minutes,” Escobar said. “It’s going to be intense. A player like him generates something in his opponents, in his own teammates, that must be unusual. I haven’t had to face him, but I’ve heard many players say the same thing – that his presence alone is different, and you know that every time he gets hold of the ball, something can happen.
“I haven’t played against a player who touches the ball anywhere on the pitch and you’re thinking (expletive), something could happen. It could end up as a goal, even if he’s got two players on him marking him. So, you have to be very careful. Anyway, it’s going to be a very nice experience, and hopefully with a happy ending for us.”
Messi is already off to a fast start in 2025. He scored two goals in two matches against Sporting Kansas City to help Inter Miami advance 4-1 on aggregate score to the Round of 16 in the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament.
Messi had two assists in Inter Miami’s 2-2 draw to open the MLS season Saturday against New York City FC. He was also fined by the league’s disciplinary committee for inappropriately squeezing the back of an opposing coach’s neck as the match concluded.
Houston lost to FC Dallas 2-1 at home in their season opener.
Ponce, who wears No. 10 like Messi, is also motivated by playing against Inter Miami’s other former Barcelona stars like Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in Sunday’s match.
“I think it’s very important to face figures like Leo, like Luis, like Sergio, Jordi and all the people around them, too,’ Ponce said. ‘It’s going to be a nice challenge to take on. It’s important for us because it could be a big turning point in our season, being able to compete, and do well, and get the three points.
“We look at it from that point of view, and having Leo here motivates everyone. Just proud to have him around.”
The match will be Messi’s first against Houston. He was injured and unable to play when Houston beat Inter Miami in the U.S. Open Cup final on Sept. 27, 2023.
Escobar and Ponce plan to ask Messi for his jersey after the match, an experience they’ll cherish regardless of the result.
“I think all my teammates are going to want to have his shirt, but let’s see if – because he’s Argentinian from Rosario – we have a little advantage,” Escobar said.
“God willing, if he has room to leave me his jersey, it would be an honor to have it at home,” Ponce said.