‘Inhumane’ – Javier Mascherano furious but Lionel Messi has perfect response to Kansas City’s freezing taunts

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Lionel Messi silenced any doubters as he scored the winning goal in Inter Miami's season opener against Sporting KC.

Miami traveled to Kansas City on Wednesday night for the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup round one clash.

Lionel Messi celebrating a goal during a Concacaf Champions Cup match.

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Messi scored the only goal of the game in freezing temperatures against Kansas CityCredit: Getty

In the build up to the game, reports suggested that the World Cup winner could sit it out due to sub-zero temperatures.

Concacaf even postponed the fixture by 24 hours due to the multiple winter storm warnings that forecast between five to seven inches of snowfall across Kansas City on Tuesday.

With suggestion Messi could miss the game, social media erupted into a storm of its own, with many rolling out a classic phrase.

Fans questioned if the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner could have 'done it on a cold rainy night in Stoke' in the prime of his career.

Well, at 37 years old, he did it in a freezing Kansas City instead.

The game kicked off at 7:00pm CT, with the temperatures in Kansas City just five degrees Fahrenheit.

By halftime, the conditions deteriorated to three degrees Fahrenheit - with a feels like of negative eight degrees Fahrenheit.

That didn't stop Messi though, who scored his first official goal of the year in the 55th minute.

The Argentine superstar controlled a long pass from Sergio Busquets with his chest, before taking the ball down and finishing across goal, burying his shot into the opposite corner.

It was a vintage Messi finish, on what could have been the coldest night of his life.

Lionel Messi of Inter Miami controls the ball during a soccer match.

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Reports suggested Messi might not play against Sporting KC in frigid temperaturesCredit: Getty

Lionel Messi and Tadeo Allende celebrating a goal during a Concacaf Champions Cup match.

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But the World Cup winner played - and scored - to secure the winCredit: Getty

And it was also a goal that silenced his doubters.

On the day of the game, Sporting KC shared a cheeky graphic on social media that featured Messi walking through their stadium in a snowstorm.

It was captioned with the words: 'There's no escaping now.'

As it turns out, Messi and his Miami teammates will return to sunny Florida with the win and after the game, plenty of fans returned to the post to rub it in.

"Yep, there is no escape indeed - not from the GOAT," one person wrote.

"Never disrespect the king," another replied.

Illustration of Sporting KC player with Messi in the background; Sporting KC's pre-game troll of Messi backfired.

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Sporting KC's attempt to troll Messi pre-game backfired as the Argentine scored the winnerCredit: X: @SportingKC

"Thought you could clown Messi and get away with it?" a third asked.

Other fans suggested that 'if you come for the king, you best not miss,' while a number urged Sporting KC to 'stay humble' after the defeat.

While Messi had the last laugh on a frigid evening, Miami's head coach Javier Mascherano labeled the conditions as 'inhumane'.

"I'm very proud because I think it's impossible to play in these conditions," he said in his post-match press conference.

Discover why Lionel Messi could refuse to play for Inter Miami against Sporting Kansas City

"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."

Inter Miami will host Sporting KC in the second leg of the tie at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, February 25.

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