Lionel Messi hit with unusual request by referee after match in 'inhumane' conditions
Lionel Messi remains one of the world's biggest draws and the referee went after the Inter Miami icon to ask for his shirt after taking charge of their clash in sub zero temperatures
by Samuel Meade · The MirrorLionel Messi saw the referee ask for his shirt after he captained Inter Miami to a 1-0 win at Sporting Kansas City.
The Argentine arguably remains the biggest draw in the world with his jerseys are much sought after, so much so that the official couldn't resist asking if he could have it on this occasion.
The Mexican referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava approached the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and Messi, who scored the winning goal in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup first round, was happy to hand it over once they were back in the changing rooms.
Inter Miami's win came in freezing conditions with temperatures at the Children's Mercy Park hitting minus 16 degrees. Javier Mascherano claimed the weather was "not human" as he hailed his players for dealing with the adverse conditions.
He said: "I'm very proud because I think it's impossible to play in these conditions. It is not human, you know, so I'm very proud because they gave me 100% with intensity, with a lot of attitude, so we are happy. We are in the halftime of the qualifiers, so now try to rest after a very difficult game for us."
The occasion did mark Messi's first goal of the year and he will be back on the pitch when they return action on Saturday as the Florida outfit host New York City FC in their MLS opener.
Messi's new manager said: "Fantastic [goal], I think maybe for the people that know him, it's normal because he did things like this or goals like this 1,000 times, but we are very lucky to have him in our team."
It was Mascherano's first official win as the team's new boss having taken over from Tato Martino last November. Kansas head coach Peter Vermes was left to admit that, when you come up against Messi, he simply does things you cannot deal with.
"I thought we played really well, we were very organized defensively. We didn't give anything away. There is one guy [Messi] that can turn the game over and he did," he said.
"It's not just [what he does] to us, it's what he does to the whole world, anyone who plays against him. He can change the game himself, and there aren't many players you can say that about in the world's game and over generations."
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