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When Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in the summer of 2023, he transformed the club's future and the landscape of Major League Soccer in a way no player had since his club's co-owner, David Beckham, arrived in 2007.
Since his arrival, Messi has rewritten the record books. Across his first 100 appearances in all competitions, he recorded 86 goals and 56 assists (including 10 secondary assists, as counted in MLS), became the first player to claim consecutive Landon Donovan MLS MVP Awards and captured the 2025 MLS Golden Boot. He also became the first active MLS player to win the Ballon d'Or, claiming his eighth in 2023, largely on the strength of his 2022 World Cup campaign with Argentina.
Beyond the individual honors he has collected with the South Florida club, he has guided the team to the 2023 Leagues Cup, 2024 Supporters' Shield and 2025 MLS Cup championships. Yet, he has rarely sought the individual spotlight, instead preferring to create opportunities for teammates to craft their own memorable moments.
While Miami fell short in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup final and the 2025 Leagues Cup final and has yet to reach the Concacaf Champions Cup final, there is very little to criticize about the club's performances during the Messi era.
Here, Sports Illustrated counts down the top five moments from his first 100 games — and remarkably, none occurred in a final, even though lifting the MLS Cup was undeniably a defining chapter for the club.
5. Messi Turns Back the Clock
Ankara Messi, Ankara Messi, Ankara Messi Ankara Messi, Ankara Messi . 🐐 pic.twitter.com/DsvmC73hns
Messi has always been an elite dribbler, and he puts those abilities on display in virtually every match for Inter Miami. However, his goal in a 2025 4–1 victory over CF Montréal stands out as his finest showcase of those skills, evoking a strikingly similar goal he scored back in 2007 — famously known as the "Ankara Messi" goal.
With his side already leading 2–1, Messi collected the ball in midfield and kept it glued to his feet, leaving defenders in his wake with subtle touches and clever shoulder feints, before firing past the goalkeeper to wrap up all three points.
That moment arrived 18 years after a 19-year-old Messi scored a remarkably similar goal for FC Barcelona against Getafe in the 2007 Copa del Rey semifinal — a strike that remains among his greatest, complete with a commentary call that matched its brilliance.
4. A Debut to Remember
LIONEL ANDRÉS MESSI IS NOT HUMAN. pic.twitter.com/2mBDI41mLy
After officially signing with Inter Miami on July 15, Messi's first appearance for the club didn't come in MLS; instead, he entered as a substitute in a Leagues Cup fixture against Liga MX heavyweights Cruz Azul.
Coming on in the 54th minute with the score level at 1–1, the Argentine wasted no time making his presence felt. He finished the night with 25 successful passes from 26 attempts, while also giving North American soccer fans their first glimpse of his silky dribbling ability.
While his composure and technical brilliance on the ball alone would have been enough to excite supporters about what lay ahead in his Miami career, he also delivered his first iconic moment, bending a pinpoint free kick over the wall to clinch a 2–1 victory in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time.
3. Dominating FC Cincinnati in MLS Cup Playoffs
Although Inter Miami leaned heavily on Messi throughout their 2025 MLS Cup run, the playoffs weren't defined solely by the superstar's brilliance — with Tadeo Allende's record-breaking speed and Rodrigo De Paul's commanding midfield performances also stealing the spotlight in difficult matches.
Messi, however, took firm control of the second-round tie against FC Cincinnati, netting a goal and orchestrating the attack with three assists, as the Herons dismantled the Gary Lions 4–0 to advance in the postseason.
Messi would wrap up the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs with six goals and nine assists, including an assist in the final against Thomas Müller's Vancouver Whitecaps, earning a rare victory in their storied head-to-head rivalry with the German. Even so, it was that Cincinnati clash where he left his most lasting impression.
2. MLS Record Against Red Bull New York
The diminutive Argentine has left his mark throughout the MLS record books over his first 100 games, but his display in a 6–2 triumph over Red Bull New York during Miami's 2024 Supporters' Shield-winning campaign stands as his finest individual performance.
Messi also wound back the clock in this outing, making the most of his partnership with Luis Suárez and rekindling memories of the pair's celebrated time together at FC Barcelona. Red Bull drew first blood, before Messi seized control, contributing a goal in the 50th minute along with five assists — feeding a Matías Rojas brace and a Suárez hat-trick.
The display set a new record for the most goal contributions in a single MLS regular-season match and played a pivotal role in his bid to secure the historic first back-to-back MLS MVP Awards.
1. History vs. FC Porto at the FIFA Club World Cup
No MLS club had ever defeated a European side in a competitive fixture — until Messi rose to the occasion and converted a free kick against FC Porto at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Having been awarded a place in the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup as hosts, Miami faced a daunting task. Still finding their rhythm in the 2025 MLS season, the Herons were also navigating the early stages of Javier Mascherano's managerial reign. Suddenly, they were thrust into a group stage schedule against Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly, Brazilian giants Palmeiras and Portuguese titans FC Porto.
FC Porto struck first with an eighth-minute goal from Samuel Aghehowa, before Telasco Segovia drew Miami level in the 47th minute. Then came Messi's 54th-minute long-range free kick, which put the Herons ahead 2–1 and secured the first-ever MLS victory over a UEFA opponent.
That win also propelled Miami into the knockout rounds of the tournament, where their campaign ultimately came to an end against 2025 UEFA Champions League champions Paris Saint-Germain.