Lionel Messi's every move during his playoff debut with Inter Miami is shown on TikTok

Lionel Messi's every move was on display in his Major League Soccer playoff debut.

Every touch. Every shot attempt. Even if he didn't do anything at all, it was shown.

For his team's opening playoff game against Atlanta on Friday evening, there was a “Messi cam” that focused on the Inter Miami superstar. For the duration of the game, nothing but the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner was visible on the live stream on the MLS TikTok account.

It reflected the excitement surrounding Inter Miami, which grew in popularity with the arrival of Messi midway through the 2023 season.

Inter Miami is the No. 1 seed in the playoffs after setting MLS records for points (74) and winning percentage (.765).

Messi, who scored a hat trick in the regular-season finale, is in the running for league MVP despite missing nearly half of the MLS season due to injuries and commitments to the Argentina national team. He finished the game with 20 goals and 16 assists. Luis Suarez also scored 20 goals, joining Messi as the first pair of MLS teammates to reach this milestone in a season.

Messi didn't score in the first half on Friday but had several chances, including back-to-back attempts that were thwarted by Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

The 37-year-old smiled and hugged his teammates as Suarez scored the opening goal less than two minutes into the game.

He was shown flying past a defender and, with a quick touch, firing a shot from outside the penalty area that Guzan pushed over the goal. He later put both hands on his head and looked into the stands when Guzan blocked him again.

The fans stood for most of the first half. And those closest to the pitch leaned in as far as their arms would allow, cellphones outstretched, to take photos and videos of Messi as he approached.