As expected, it's 'GOAT'. The U.S. stage is narrow for the 'God of football'.
Lionel Messi flew again. Inter Miami won the final game of the 2024 Major League Soccer (MLS) regular league against the New England Revolution at Chase Stadium in Florida on the 20th (Korea time). Inter Miami finished the regular league with a score of 74 with 22 wins, 8 draws and 4 losses. Out of 29 teams in the East and West Conferences, he won the most and won the most points. The 74 points recorded by Inter Miami are the most points in MLS history in a single season, exceeding the 73 points recorded by New England in 2021.
The main character was Messi as expected. Messi, who stepped on the ground in the 12th minute of the second half, led his team to victory with a different level of play. For Messi, just 11 minutes was enough for his hat trick. Messi, who scored his first goal of the day with a left-footed mid-range shot in the 33rd minute of the second half, made a multi-goal three minutes later by penetrating to the door and then drilling between the goalkeeper's crotch. In the 44th minute, Luis Suarez finished off a cross from the right and scored a hat-trick.
Messi, who collapsed due to ankle pain in the 19th minute of the second half in the 2024 Copa America final against Colombia on July 15, made his return match against Philadelphia on the 15th of last month. Messi made a spectacular comeback by scoring two goals and one assist in his return match. In addition to two goals and one assist during the full 90 minutes of the day, Messi recorded three chances, two effective shots, 33% (1/3), 60% (3/5) of long passes, and two fouls. Messi continued to perform tremendously afterwards, leading Inter Miami to its first MLS regular league championship.
Messi's performance continued in the national team as well. Messi scored a hat trick in the 10th match of the 2026 North-China World Cup South American qualifying round against Bolivia on the 16th. Messi, who made a three-top with Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan) and Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), fired from the beginning. He scored the first and final goal in the 19th minute of the first half. He dug from the right to the center and shook the net with his unique left-footed shot. Argentina continued to shake Bolivia's defense with momentum. It was an assist show this time. In the 43rd minute, he recorded his first help of the day by handing the ball to Lautaro, who was rushing to the side without being greedy in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. In the first half extra time, Alvarez scored with a brilliant free kick. The first half ended with a 3-0 score.
Messi's one-man show continued in the second half. Argentina, which led 4-0 in the 14th minute of the second half with Thiago Almada (Atlanta United) score, finished the victory with Messi completing a gear-co hat trick. Messi, who caught the ball in front of the penalty box in the 39th minute of the second half, neutralized the opponent's defense with an exquisite dribble. He then scored multiple goals with a low right foot shot. In the 42nd minute, he scored with an accurate shot after an exquisite 2-1 pass with Niko Paz (Como 1907) to create a hat trick.
Messi scored as many as five offensive points on the day alone, including hat tricks. In addition to three goals and two assists, he has recorded a tremendous record of four times of opportunity creation, two times of dribbling success, and six times of competition success. Messi scored a total of 112 goals for the national team and 846 goals for his professional career. At the age of 37, it was once again announced that Messi was still at the center of Argentina's attack.
The momentum continued in the league as well. Messi scored 20 goals and 16 assists in the MLS regular league with a hat trick on the day. Considering that Messi played only 19 games due to injury, it is a formidable record. Inter Miami, which ranked 14th among the 15 Eastern Conference teams with nine wins, seven draws and 18 losses last season, showed a significant change with Messi at the forefront. Messi gave Inter Miami another trophy with a different level of play.
As soon as Messi entered the U.S. stage, he performed the magic of giving Inter Miami, the last-place team, its first championship in a month. The U.S. MLS and Mexico's Liga have led the team to win the League Cup. Messi, who moved to the U.S., added a trophy to his career after seven games. He lifted his 44th career championship. Messi completely conquered the U.S. stage in just seven games, receiving the 'Best Player' and the 'Score' award. As expected, it was an amazing move that could not be explained except by the word Messi.
Messi's Miami has also received a berth to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S. next year. FIFA decided to hand over the ticket to the Club World Cup to the MLS regular league winner, who showed a steady performance for 34 games, rather than the playoff winner after the regular league. It is the opposite of Cristiano Ronaldo, who failed to go to the Club World Cup after failing to win the Asian Champions League in Al Nasr.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami, which gave back-to-back goals to Luca Langoni in the second minute and Dylan Borrero in the 34th minute, brought the game back to square one with Suarez's back-to-back goals in the 40th and 43rd minutes of the first half. Inter Miami, which took the lead in the 13th minute of the second half with Benjamin Kremaszic's come-from-behind goal, then Messi scored a hat trick to end the victory.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
