It’s not every day you see a 38-year-old superstar shrug off the usual rhythms of the national team calendar and steal the spotlight somewhere else on the very same weekend. But when it comes to Lionel Messi, nothing really fits the usual script. While Argentina rested its captain in the friendly against Venezuela, Inter Miami CF’s No. 10 lit up Miami with two goals, one assist, and yet another historic record in Major League Soccer. Head coach Lionel Scaloni still hopes to have him available on Tuesday against Puerto Rico in Chicago.
Between country and club
The call-up came on October 3, with Messi and 27 other players named to the squad. The two friendlies in the U.S. were scheduled for Miami and Chicago. In the first match, Scaloni chose not to use him, admitting it was a tactical decision to test other players and protect his forward. In practice, Messi stayed on the bench while his teammates took the field. One day later, showing no sign of fatigue, he was at Chase Stadium, starting in a decisive game against Atlanta.
Wearing the No. 10 shirt, he opened the scoring in the 38th minute with a precise finish, set up Jordi Alba for the second, and scored the final goal in a 4–0 win in the 86th minute. The assist for Alba was his 18th of the season. With those two goals, Messi reached 26 in MLS and moved past Denis Bouanga in the Golden Boot race. The result put Inter Miami on 62 points, level with second-place Cincinnati and trailing only on goal difference.
Messi at the center of it all
Scaloni made it clear he plans to use Messi in the second friendly. Argentina faces Puerto Rico in Chicago, and the captain’s presence is still being watched closely. On the other side, Messi’s influence on Inter Miami’s run has been undeniable. The team is already qualified for the playoffs and is pushing to finish the regular season as high as possible in the standings.
The match against Atlanta was the team’s final home game of this stage. Beyond the goals and assist, Messi became the first player in MLS history to record nine multi-goal games in a single regular season. The sporting and statistical impact speaks for itself and doesn’t need any extra hype to carry weight.