Lionel Messi wrapped up the 2025 MLS regular season the way the world’s used to seeing him do it, by deciding the game. The Argentine star scored three times in Inter Miami’s 5–2 win over Nashville and secured the league’s Golden Boot with 29 goals. In another commanding performance, Messi also provided an assist, finishing the regular season with 48 goal contributions: 29 goals and 19 assists, the second-highest total in league history, behind only Carlos Vela’s 49 in 2019.
Messi takes control of the game
The match started evenly, with Nashville pressing hard and Inter Miami trying to settle in. At the 33-minute mark, Messi picked up a pass from Jordi Alba near midfield, surged forward with space to run, blew past defenders, and slotted a low shot into the left corner. A goal that blended lightness and precision, a trademark of the Argentine. Even after falling behind, Nashville struck back and turned the game around with goals from Sam Surridge in the 43rd minute and Jacob Shaffelburg in stoppage time. Inter Miami went into the break trailing, but their attitude made it clear the game was far from over.
Messi changes the course of the story
The captain returned for the second half with the same look he’s carried for nearly two decades, the look of someone who knows he can change everything. In the 63rd minute, he converted a penalty to tie the game and put Inter Miami back in control. Just four minutes later, Baltasar Rodríguez pounced on a loose ball inside the box to score and complete the comeback. The team grew in confidence, keeping more possession and tightening their passing. Messi, as usual, dictated the tempo and turned the match into his own stage.
At 81 minutes, he exchanged passes with Ian Fray and scored his third goal of the game — the one that practically sealed the result. In stoppage time, he provided the assist for Telasco Segovia to close out the 5–2 win. Three goals and one assist in a single match, another masterclass of precision and control.
A star redefining the limit
That performance in Nashville capped a season in which Messi seemed to lift Inter Miami to another level. The team finished third in the Eastern Conference with 65 points, the same total as Cincinnati and just one behind leaders Philadelphia Union, who won the Supporters’ Shield. The club also hit a historic milestone: 81 goals in the regular season, becoming only the third team in MLS history to surpass 80.