“I refereed Lionel Messi's first match at Inter Miami – what he did after the match says it all”

Lionel Messi illustrated how caring and humble he is after his first match at Inter Miami last year. The 37-year-old Argentine prodigy cemented his legacy with Barcelona between 2004 and 2021, scoring 672 goals in 778 matches to guide his side to 10 La Liga titles, 14 domestic trophies and four Champions Leagues before joining Paris Saint-Germain. in 2021 on a free transfer.

Having added a few Ligue 1 titles to his astonishing list of accolades, Messi was on the move again last summer, this time to David Beckham's Inter Miami CF. And while many soccer stars develop huge egos for achieving far less than Messi throughout their careers, the man who refereed his first match for Team USA explained that he remained incredibly humble and that he gives a lot of time to the fans.

Speaking about Messi's first match at Inter Miami on Rely Maradiaga's YouTube channel, Honduran referee Said Martinez explained: “He doesn't get angry easily. When he complains about something, he's usually calm.

“I saw Messi's most humble gesture that day. The whole stadium was chanting his name and he came to shake hands with four Honduran referees. The stadium was chanting 'Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi', and he went to shake our hands and congratulated us and gave us a pat on the back and told us what a good game and what a good job.

“This kind of thing is worth more than anything else.” Martinez also revealed that Messi took the time to sign a special moment for his daughter after the match, showing an incredibly caring side.

He added: “There's something I've never revealed in the media. There's a very special item I've been saving for when my daughter turns 15. I'm not someone who takes photos with players; for me, all players are the same, I'm here to do my job However, I went with the locker room delegate to check some things during a match involving Messi.

“At that time, Leo Messi was signing some things. I decided to take out the FIFA card with which I officiated in the Gold Cup final between Mexico and Panama. It would be a souvenir for my daughter , not for me As you can see on the card it says: “For Siham Martínez, with love, Leo Messi”.

“It's Messi's original signature; it's the precious thing I have from him. It's Messi's handwriting. He took the time to write it. These details are worth gold ;it’s a priceless memory.”

Elsewhere during his conversation, Martinez also claimed to have received an apology from Portuguese great Cristiano Ronaldo during a Saudi Pro League match at Al-Nassr. Martinez said he denied the 39-year-old two goals, leading to an argument between the two after Ronaldo claimed the referees wanted to be “protagonists”.

Martinez said: “After checking the VAR, I asked him to come closer; Cristiano is Cristiano, and if he doesn't want to come, he won't. But he came where I was and I I told him: “You are a great player, but what you said at halftime is not true. I respect you a lot, but we are here to do our job like you. » He replied, “Yes, you are. “It's true, that wasn't the right way to express myself, I apologize.”