Lionel Messi, the Inter Miami star, welcomed Julián Camino to his club’s training facility in Miami this week — a reunion with the former assistant coach from the Argentina team that reached the 2014 World Cup final, TyC Sports reported. Camino, who served on Alejandro Sabella’s staff with the national team, posted a photo and video of the meeting on Instagram with the message “Visiting the No. 1.” The meeting took place Wednesday.

The meeting came weeks after Messi closed his Argentina career on Oct. 6 at Buenos Aires’ Monumental stadium, in a 3-0 friendly win over Benin in which he scored a penalty and added two assists. The two outlets that detailed his final international numbers differ slightly: TyC Sports credits Messi with 207 matches, 125 goals and 68 assists for Argentina, while Infobae puts the totals at 208 appearances and 126 goals.

Camino’s place in the 2014 cycle

Camino, 65, was one of Sabella’s principal assistants — alongside Claudio Gugnali — during the manager’s tenure from July 2011 to July 2014, according to Infobae. That cycle ended with the World Cup final loss to Germany in Brazil, a period Infobae describes as Messi’s best stretch with the Albiceleste until Lionel Scaloni’s arrival. Camino traveled to Miami and used the trip to visit Messi at the Inter Miami grounds in Florida, where the two shared the moment now documented on Camino’s social media accounts. Camino also served with Sabella at Estudiantes.

What Camino revealed about Messi’s gestures

The reunion follows an interview Camino gave in October to 0221’s YouTube channel, in which he described details of life around the squad at the AFA training complex in Ezeiza. The interview ran on 0221 Play’s No juegan con nadie. He cited Messi’s humility and support for the technical staff. He said Messi regularly helped the facility’s employees — organizing gifts and raffles and sharing prize money — telling 0221: “Messi helped the AFA facility employees a lot. He gave gifts, held raffles, was always very present, the same with dividing prize money. That whole group had great gestures.”

Camino also described how Messi and his teammates folded staff into daily squad life, even on team flights. “Always very positive, and they always included us in the group with the squad,” he said. “We’d be on the plane and they’d come get us to play truco.” On Messi’s demeanor as the world’s best player, Camino said: “We enjoyed Messi a lot. He, being the best player in the world, never put a single obstacle in our way. He always supported us. He never set us aside despite shortcomings; he always pushed forward.”

Messi’s focus back in MLS

The visit arrives as Messi prepares for Inter Miami’s final regular-season MLS match against Charlotte FC, with the Herons already qualified for the playoffs and needing a win to secure second place in the Eastern Conference, Infobae reported. The club’s captain is chasing the MLS regular-season scoring title: after an 83rd-minute winner against New England in Foxborough, he sits on 26 goals in 30 matches, four ahead of FC Dallas’s Petar Musa, and is third in assists with 16. He trails Evander (17, Cincinnati) and Pep Biel (17, Charlotte) in assists. The New England goal came from a one-two with Telasco Segovia for a 2-1 win. The Charlotte game is Saturday at 18:00 Argentine time.

Questions readers are asking about the reunion

Who is Julián Camino? He was an assistant coach under Alejandro Sabella during Argentina’s 2011-2014 cycle, which ended with the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil.

The meeting took place at Inter Miami’s training facility in Miami shortly after Messi’s final match for Argentina on Oct. 6, making it a reunion timed to the end of his international career.

Camino said Messi gave gifts, held raffles, and shared prizes with AFA employees and always supported the staff despite being the world’s best player. He described Messi giving gifts, holding raffles and sharing prize money with AFA employees in Ezeiza, and including staff in squad activities such as card games on team flights.