Lionel Messi scores 4 goals in Inter Miami's victory: Details
What's the story
Lionel Messi, the Argentine football legend, displayed his unmatched skills once again by scoring four goals in Inter Miami's thumping 7-1 victory over CF Montreal in Miami. The Major League Soccer match took place on Saturday and saw Casemiro score his first goal for the club after joining from Manchester United at the end of the 2025-26 season. The win ended a five-match winless streak for Miami.
Match highlights
Messi fires Miami to victory
Casemiro opened the scoring for Miami in the 20th minute with a header.
However, Montreal quickly equalized through Fabian Herbers in the 37th minute.
Just three minutes later, Messi put Miami back in front with his first goal of the match, a deflected free-kick that gave them a 2-1 lead.
He then assisted Luis Suarez for his 11th goal of the match in the 80th minute.
Scoring spree
Messi's 4-goal blitz
Messi scored his second goal in the 52nd minute with a brilliant solo effort, dribbling past Montreal defenders before finishing with his weaker foot.
He completed his hat-trick with a chipped left-footed shot over the Montreal goalkeeper in the 83rd minute.
The Argentine captain wasn't done yet as he scored another free-kick in stoppage time to take his tally to four goals for the match.
Milestone achievement
MLS standings and record for Messi
Messi's four-goal haul took his professional goal tally to an astonishing 927. He is only behind Cristiano Ronaldo's tally of 978 goals.
This was also the 62nd hat-trick of his career and the ninth time he had scored four or more goals in a match.
The victory propelled Inter Miami to second place in the Eastern Conference with 42 points from 22 matches, as they look to solidify their position in the MLS playoff race.
Twitter Post
A stunning show from Messi
Messi recorded 4 goals and an assist as @InterMiamiCF dominated CF Montreal, 7-1. 💪 pic.twitter.com/0cPkV40Jr6
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 30, 2026
Campaign
Eight goals in World Cup 2026
Messi was also sensational in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, though Argentina suffered a heartbreaking extra-time loss to Spain in the final.
The 39-year-old recorded eight goals and four assists in the 853 minutes played. However, Rodri eclipsed Messi in the Golden Ball race despite scoring no goals.
The Spanish midfielder was rewarded for his passing and possession, which helped Spain win the title.
Meanwhile, France's Kylian Mbappe, who won the Golden Boot, was the only one to net more goals than Messi (10).