'I refereed Lionel Messi's first Inter Miami game – what he did post-match speaks volumes'

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

After adding a couple of Ligue 1 titles to his astonishing list of accolades, Messi was once again on the move last summer – this time to David Beckham’s Inter Miami CF. And while many football stars grow huge egos for achieving far less than Messi throughout their careers, the man who officiated his first game for the American side explained that he has remained incredibly humble and gives a lot of time to fans.

Speaking about Messi’s first game 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 is usually calm.

“I saw the most humble gesture of Messi 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 said what a good game and what a good job.

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

He added: “There is something I’ve never revealed in the media. There is a very special object I have saved for when my daughter turns 15. I’m not someone who takes photos with players; for me, all players are the same. I’m there to do my job. However, I went with the dressing room delegate to check some things during a match involving Messi.

“At that moment Leo Messi was there 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 memento for my daughter, not me. As you can see on the card, it says: ‘For Siham Martínez, with love, Leo Messi’.

“This is Messi’s original signature; this is the precious object I have from him. It’s Messi’s handwriting. He took the time to write it. These details are worth gold; it’s an invaluable memory.”

Elsewhere duing his chat, Martinez also claimed that he received an apology from Portuguese great Cristiano Ronaldo during a Saudi Pro League match at Al-Nassr. Martinez said that he disallowed two goals for the 39-year-old leading to an argument between the two after Ronaldo claimed that 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 over to where I was and I said to him: ‘You’re a great player, but what you said at half-time isn’t right. I respect you a lot, but we’re here to do our job just like you are’. He replied: ‘Yes, you’re right; it wasn’t the right way to express myself. I apologise’.”