The last month has obviously been a whirlwind of emotions for soccer megastar Lionel Messi for a variety of reasons. But he made a mistake today that has people truly wondering where his head is at.
Messi was back in club soccer action on Saturday for Inter Miami CF against Nashville SC for his first game since the passing of his father, Jorge Messi. After Nashville took an early lead, Miami drew a penalty which Messi stepped up to take.
But Messi has been having noticeable troubles on penalty kicks lately and those troubles continued today. His kick was easily defended and the follow-up goal was called off for encroaching into the box.
The failed penalty marked the third straight failed penalty that Messi has made in all competitions. He had failed on his last two penalty kicks during the FIFA World Cup.
Fans have grown a little concerned:
"Messi’s deadass missed 3 penalties in a row what the (expletive) wrong with him man?" one user asked.
"You could tell before he took it that it was not going in. It's taken root in his head now," another remarked.
"Why's he still taking pens? Especially given his current mental state," wrote a third.
"Definitely not hating whatsoever… can't even believe he is playing at a time like this. I really thought he would have retired."
© Hannah McKay-Reuters via Imagn Images
In his head?
Messi did offer an assist not long after that helped Miami equalize in the first half, so he clearly isn't completely checked out of the game. Nevertheless, it hasn't been one of his better days on the pitch.
In the past 30 days Messi has endured a brutal World Cup Final defeat at the hands of Spain and the passing of his father. It's understandable that he might have a lot on his plate recently.
But when you combine all of that with Messi's own admission that he's not sure how much longer he wants to keep playing after his father died, it can easily leave people wondering if Messi is just going through a rough patch or something more serious.
