Lionel Messi scored a wonder goal and converted his penalty in the shootout as Inter Miami beat Nashville to win the Leagues Cup on Saturday night.
The Argentine attacker joined David Beckham's Florida-based club in July after leaving Paris Saint-Germain and has lifted a team that sits bottom of the MLS table with the competition paused for the Leagues Cup.
Going into the final against Nashville, Messi had scored nine goals in six Leagues Cup games and he added another in spectacular style on Saturday as he picked up a loose ball just outside the area, sidestepped one challenge and then curled an unstoppable shot between two rival defenders and into the top corner.
It was a ridiculous goal but one we have seen so many times across his wonderful career with Barcelona, PSG and Argentina.
Nashville's Fafa Picault levelled just before the break and the scores stayed level, so the match went to penalties.
Out of this WORLD. 💫Take a bow, Leo Messi. pic.twitter.com/qm90VJtVbcAugust 20, 2023
Messi went first and converted his kick in the shootout, which featured all 22 players, and Miami claimed the trophy after a 10-9 win.
"This is the first time that I've seen [Messi] play live," Nasville coach Gary Smith said after the game. "And I think what I would take away is that there are moments in the game that he's just unplayable. It's not over a prolonged period. It's not for 90 minutes.
"There are windows, where he just comes to life and it's almost impossible to deal with what he's wanting to do."
And he told Apple TV: "To be perfectly honest, if it wasn't for the man of the moment [Messi] in their group, we would have won tonight."
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Barcelona president Joan Laporta claims Messi was 'very close' to a return to the Catalan club before he joined Inter Miami.
Messi has been joined in Miami by former Barcelona team-mates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, but there will be no reunion with his close friend Luis Suarez – for now at least.
Meanwhile, some MLS sides play on artificial grass and it is unclear whether Messi will be prepared to feature on that surface. His presence against Charlotte in October is therefore in doubt.
