One Goal, One Jersey, One Message: Rodrigo De Paul’s Emotional Tribute to Lionel Messi in Honor of Jorge Messi

By Paul Lucky Okoku

On Saturday, August 8, 2026, an Inter Miami goal against Monterrey became something much greater than the result.

There are goals that shake a stadium.

There are goals that change a match.

And then there are goals that reveal the heart of the game.

On Saturday, August 8, 2026, Rodrigo De Paul scored one of those during Inter Miami CF’s Leagues Cup match against CF Monterrey.

In the 32nd minute, De Paul received a pass from Casemiro outside the penalty area and drove a low shot into the bottom corner.

It was a beautiful goal.

But what happened next gave the moment its deeper meaning.

De Paul removed his Inter Miami jersey and revealed underneath it Lionel Messi’s No. 10 shirt.

Messi was away from the team grieving the death of his father, Jorge Messi, who had died the previous night in Rosario, Argentina, at the age of 68 after a long illness.

There was no need for a speech.

The gesture said enough.

You may not be here, but you are not alone.

RODRIGO DE PAUL: FROM UNKNOWN TO KNOWN — AT LEAST TO ME

Before this moment, I did not really know Rodrigo De Paul.

That is not a reflection on his accomplishments.

De Paul is an Argentine international midfielder, a 2022 FIFA World Cup winner, and a member of Argentina’s 2021 and 2024 Copa América-winning teams.

He has been one of Lionel Messi’s most trusted teammates during Argentina’s recent golden era, known for his energy, defensive work, intensity and willingness to cover ground for those around him.

So he was certainly not unknown in football.

He was unknown to me.

And sometimes that is how football works.

A player can have medals, championships and international recognition, yet one moment can introduce him to a completely different audience.

For me, that moment was not the goal itself.

It was the gesture.

Through Messi’s No. 10 shirt, I came to know something about Rodrigo De Paul beyond his football résumé.

I came to see the teammate.

The friend.

The man who understood that sometimes a simple act can speak louder than words.

THE MAN BEHIND MESSI’S JOURNEY

Before kickoff, the teams observed a moment of silence in memory of Jorge Messi.

His influence on Lionel Messi’s life and career had been profound.

He served for years as his representative, adviser and constant presence, particularly through the difficult early years when the family moved from Argentina to Barcelona.

Lionel Messi has not publicly addressed his father’s death in the immediate aftermath of the loss.

But years earlier, he had spoken about Jorge’s influence.

In a 2022 interview with DirecTV Sports, Messi said:

“My father helped me enormously. He is very critical of me. That made me always want to push myself further.”

He had also previously recalled the emotional difficulty of their early days in Barcelona, when both father and son sometimes cried privately while trying not to show the other how much they were struggling.

Those memories tell us something important.

Behind the trophies, records and global fame stood a father whose influence began long before the world knew Lionel Messi’s name.

That is why De Paul’s tribute carried such weight.

A YELLOW CARD, BUT A LASTING IMAGE

After revealing Messi’s No. 10 shirt, De Paul was shown a yellow card for removing his jersey.

The referee was simply applying the law.

But football has a way of creating moments that live beyond the official record.

The match sheet will record the caution.

The people who saw it will remember why it happened.

That distinction matters.

Monterrey eventually came back to win the match 2–1.

The result should not be ignored.

But football history is not preserved only in scorelines.

Sometimes it is preserved in images.

A player in tears.

A goalkeeper consoling an opponent.

A shirt held toward the crowd.

On August 8, Rodrigo De Paul gave football another one of those images.

Messi’s No. 10.

A grieving teammate far away.

A father being remembered.

FINAL REFLECTION

There is a reason this story stayed with me.

It was not simply because De Paul scored.

It was because, for a brief moment, football became a language of sympathy.

De Paul did not need to explain the gesture.

He did not need to make it about himself.

He simply lifted the shirt.

That was enough.

And perhaps that is the central message here.

Football is often measured in goals, assists, trophies, statistics and results.

But every so often, the game reminds us that some of its most meaningful moments cannot be measured at all.

Monterrey won the match.

Rodrigo De Paul created the image that endured.

The referee recorded a yellow card.

Football recorded something else: friendship.

The goal belonged to Rodrigo De Paul. The No. 10 belonged to Lionel Messi. But the moment belonged to Jorge Messi — and to everyone who understands the power of remembering someone through the game..