‘The guy’s a beast!’ – Lionel Messi magic no surprise to MLS rivals as Argentine GOAT puts on another ‘show’ for Inter Miami in front of 60,000 fans in New England

WHAT HAPPENED?

There had been suggestions heading into a game at Gillette Stadium – home of the Patriots NFL franchise – that eight-time Ballon d’Or winner could be rested on the back of his exploits at the FIFA Club World Cup.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

He had returned to domestic action with a brace in Inter Miami’s 4-1 victory over Montreal and could have had few complaints at being offered a place on the bench in Foxborough. He was, however, to take in another 90 minutes and bag two more goals.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Messi’s match-winning contribution secured a 2-1 victory for the Herons, with Javier Mascherano admitting afterwards that he is finding it difficult to drag fellow countryman Messi away from the pitch – with the all-time great showing no sign of slowing down at 38 years of age.

WHAT PORTER SAID

New England coach Caleb Porter always expected the South American GOAT to line up against his troops, telling reporters after witnessing another sporting masterclass: “I said it going into the game that Messi is playing some of the best soccer of his career; and man, it just shows how professional he is, how competitive he is.

“The guy’s a beast. The fact that he plays every game of the Club World Cup, comes back from there and you think, `Oh, maybe he takes a break one of these games,’ but I’m sure he’s going to the manager’s door and saying `I’m playing. I don’t want a break.’

“Many players would say, `Yeah, I’ll take a break here’ or `Bring me off the bench this next game’, and this guy probably heard it was going to be a big crowd of 60,000 and wanted to put on a show.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?

Inter Miami are up to fifth in the Eastern Conference, seven points adrift of top spot with three games in hand. The ambitious Florida-based outfit have never shied away from the fact that they want to savour a historic MLS Cup triumph in 2025 – which may yet be Messi’s final season in the United States.