Written By Ben Victor, For The Globe • March 5, 2025
Lionel Messi walks into the stadium, looking directly at my camera as he prepares for the match.
As a photography student at Point Park, I was fortunate enough to have an unforgettable experience on Feb. 25th when I had the opportunity to represent our university at a professional soccer match in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The match was a high-stakes playoff game in the first round of the Concacaf Championship, featuring Sporting Kansas City and Inter Miami.
What made this match even more special was the presence of world-renowned soccer star Lionel Messi, playing for Inter Miami.
Inter Miami triumphed over Sporting Kansas City with a 3-1 victory. Messi kicked off the action with a goal in the 19th minute, followed by Tadeo Allende’s goal in the 46th minute, and Luis Suárez’s goal in the 48th minute. Sporting Kansas City’s lone goal came from Memo Rodríguez in the 63rd minute. As a result of this victory, Inter Miami advanced to the Round of 16, where they will face Cavalier on March 6th.
Capturing moments from such a historic match was a dream come true. As a photographer, I was excited to document Messi’s presence on the field and the intense emotions that came with such a high-energy game.
Photos shot by Ben Victor. His work can be found on Instagram under @ben_victor_media.
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