Lionel Messi crashes to ground after fan rushes field in Inter Miami Puerto Rico friendly

The scary moment happened in the 88th minute of Inter Miami’s friendly against Independiente del Valle on February 26 in Puerto Rico. A fan rushed from the stands and hugged Messi from behind. When security guards tried to stop the fan, both the supporter and Messi fell to the ground. For a second, the stadium went silent. Thankfully, Messi stood up quickly. He did not look injured, but he clearly looked upset. It was a shocking end to a game Inter Miami had already sealed 2 to 1.

Earlier in the match, Messi had made the difference. He came on at halftime and scored the winning goal in the 70th minute from a penalty kick. The crowd had cheered loudly. But about 20 minutes later, things took a strange turn. Three fans ran onto the pitch. One even removed his shirt, slipped, got up again, and ran past Messi as security chased him. Two others reached Messi. One asked for an autograph and got it. Another took a quick selfie. Messi stayed calm, as he often does. Then the shirtless fan came back. He grabbed Messi tightly from behind. Security rushed in and tackled the fan. Because the fan was holding Messi, both of them crashed down.

Lionel Messi speaks after Inter Miami friendly chaos in Puerto Rico

This match had already faced problems before kickoff. Both Inter Miami and Independiente del Valle arrived wearing black kits. The color clash delayed the game by almost one hour.

The friendly was also rescheduled. It was first planned for February 13. But Messi suffered a hamstring strain on February 7 during a preseason match against Barcelona SC. Because of that injury, the Puerto Rico game was moved to February 26.

Before the new date, Messi sent a message to fans, according to ESPN.

“Hi everyone, I wanted to send this message to the people of Puerto Rico and all the people that will be going to the training session and game,” Messi said.

“To be honest, during the last game in Ecuador I concluded with a muscle strain, which is why I left the field early. So, together with the people of the organization and Inter Miami it was decided to suspend this game.”

He added, “I hope it can be reprogrammed, and we can see each other. Visit you soon. Sending a hug to you all and thank you for all the love that you always give.”

In the end, Messi did visit. The love was real. But one fan took it too far.

Despite the wild scenes, Messi walked away without injury. Inter Miami secured the win. Now, the team turns its focus to the MLS season opener against Orlando City at Inter and Co Stadium

Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.