For several days, nobody knew whether one of football’s most recognisable careers was quietly ending. Messi’s own Instagram tribute to his father Jorge, who died in Argentina on 8 August at the age of 68, openly raised the possibility that he would stop.

“I don’t know what I’ll do without you, I don’t know how to go on. I only played football and now I have serious doubts that I’ll continue doing that for much longer,” Messi wrote.

His head coach in Miami has now offered the calmest possible answer to that question. Guillermo Hoyos, speaking to reporters this week, described his captain as a player who has chosen to keep going.

“He looks good, expressing himself on the pitch, a place he knows to perfection, and at peace,” Hoyos said.

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A private grief in Rosario

Jorge Messi served as both father and lifelong agent to his son, and MLS publicly mourned his death, calling him a figure whose “devotion to his family and support throughout Lionel’s remarkable journey will always be remembered.” The player travelled home to Rosario for a private memorial before returning to Florida.

His comeback has been staggered rather than announced. He was on the bench for Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup defeat by Club León on 12 August, coming on in the second half to a standing ovation, before training again on 14 August ahead of the trip to Nashville.

Hoyos has spent as much time protecting his player as praising him. Ahead of the Nashville game he warned that nothing about Messi’s grief could be forced.

“I think Leo’s situation needs to keep developing little by little because there’s a lot of pain there,” Hoyos told reporters.

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“This isn’t something that happens from one day to the next. So I think silence, calm and peace are what’s best, and for him to find his own moments.”

First start ends in a heavy defeat

The first full match of Messi’s return was a difficult one. Inter Miami were beaten 4-1 at Nashville on 15 August, with Hany Mukhtar scoring twice for the hosts.

Messi had his penalty saved by Brian Schwake in the 23rd minute and was booked shortly after the hour, though he did set up Miami’s only reply for Telasco Segovia and struck a post twice in stoppage time. It was his first start since his father’s death.

The sporting story on the night was smaller and older than the scoreline. The man who had wondered aloud whether he could carry on football at all was back running, shooting and picking teammates out.

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Hoyos has made a point of not asking for more than that yet. He says his captain needs silence, calm and peace, and for now, Messi is choosing to look for those things on a pitch.

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