A months-old clip of Lionel Messi lining up a free kick has gone viral again, and for a reason that has nothing to do with Messi. A long, thin line appears to run straight across the pitch.
The footage is from Inter Miami’s 3-2 comeback win over New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on March 22, 2026. Messi scored the equalizer from a free kick in the second half, then helped set up Micael dos Santos’ winner.
In the clip, the match clock reads just past 60 minutes, with NYCFC leading 2-1. Inter Miami posted the goal the following day, captioned “GOOOOOL! Another free-kick goal by him.”
Viewers quickly spotted the line. One fan quote-tweeted the clip with “wait why is there a wire on the pitch,”.
wait why is there a wire on the pitch 😭😭😭 https://t.co/zcrnIVvZ8Q
— 🐾 (@elsdawg) March 23, 2026
The question came back this weekend. On September 27, Footy Humour reposted the clip and asked:
“Why is there an actual cable running across the pitch???”
Why is there an actual cable running across the pitch??? pic.twitter.com/bmdnEkHc1H
— Footy Humour (@FootyHumour) September 27, 2026
The short answer is that the line doesn’t appear to be on the pitch at all. Replies were quick to point out that it’s a trick of perspective. “People are just now discovering perspective,” one reply read. “Obviously it’s not on the pitch.”
Another user shared a wide shot from the same broadcast with the caption “Not wire fam.” It shows a pole and a thin line in the foreground of the frame, much closer to the camera than to the players.
A parody account offered the most specific explanation, posting a photo of Yankee Stadium with the caption:
“This is yankee stadium. It’s a net that protects fans close to home plate from foul balls.”
The photo shows netting held up by thin cables and poles, hanging in front of the seats. That fits the setting. NYCFC play at Yankee Stadium, a baseball ground, and the Yankees expanded their protective netting in 2018.
The club said at the time that some sections of that netting “may be removed for soccer matches or other events,” which suggests other sections, and the lines that support them, can remain in place.
From certain broadcast angles, those lines can cut across the frame and look as if they’re sitting on the grass. So no, there wasn’t a cable across the pitch.
There was a line in front of the lens, and a small reminder of what happens when a soccer team plays in a baseball stadium.
