Lionel Messi starred on Saturday in one of the brightest nights of his MLS career by scoring four goals and providing an assist in the over CF Montréal, marking the largest win in the club's history in the American league.
The match, held at Chase Stadium in Miami in front of their fans, ended a streak of five matches without a win across all competitions, including the Leagues Cup, and marked the fifth consecutive victory for the Garzas over the same Canadian opponent.
The Brazilian Casemiro opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a header following a corner from Telasco Segovia, his first goal since he joined the club last July.
Messi took control from there. In the 40th minute, he executed a free kick that deflected off the defender Luca Petrasso, throwing the visiting goalkeeper off balance. Twelve minutes later, in a display of pure individual skill, he slipped past three opponents and shot across with his right foot to score the team's third goal.
Before completing his hat trick, the Argentine found Luis Suárez with a first-time pass, who finished with precision for the fourth goal. In the 83rd minute, after receiving a ball from Rodrigo De Paul, he surpassed the goalkeeper with a subtle touch over the top for the fifth. In stoppage time, with the match already decided, Messi stood over a free kick and placed it with surgical precision into the side of the net to complete his four-goal haul.
Eighteen-year-old Alexander Shaw completed the rout in the 89th minute with the team's sixth goal.
It was the eighth time in Messi's career that he scored four or more goals in a single match, and the first since February 2020, when he scored four with Barcelona against Eibar in LaLiga.
With 18 goals in 19 league matches in 2026, the Rosario player leads the MLS scoring table with a two-goal advantage over Petar Musa from FC Dallas. In total, he has scored 32 goals this year and 928 throughout his career.
Additionally, he became the fastest player in MLS history to reach 20 matches with two or more goals, achieving this milestone in just 72 appearances.
The match took place in a context of transition on the bench: interim coach Guillermo Hoyos was suspended by MLS for repeated violations of the league's punctuality policy and watched the game from the stands.
The assistant Rafael Pérez directed the team from the field. The new permanent coach, Cristian "Kily" González, announced on Friday, is still awaiting his work permits to take on the role.
Montreal, which introduced Chilean Alexis Sánchez in the second half—former teammate of Messi at Barcelona—during what was his 134th appearance alongside the Argentine, remains second to last in the Eastern Conference.
"This is what it means to have Messi on the team," declared Casemiro to Apple TV. "We need to enjoy these moments because he is a person, a player who makes history. We must enjoy him, continue to support him, and compete alongside him, because he is still the best. With him, we are much stronger."
Hoyos, despite watching the match from the stands, did not hold back in describing what he experienced: "There are no words to describe such footballing beauty. He constantly seeks that goal, that play, that pass. I don't believe he is an ordinary footballer."
With the victory, Inter Miami solidifies its position in second place in the Eastern Conference, although it still trails the leader Nashville SC by 10 points.
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