Lionel Messi showcased his remarkable talent once again, scoring an impressive 11-minute hat trick as a substitute for Inter Miami in their 6-2 victory over the New England Revolution at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This performance allowed Inter Miami to set a new Major League Soccer record for the most points in a single season, finishing with 74 points from 34 matches and a record of 22 wins, 4 losses, and 8 draws, surpassing the previous record of 73 points held by the Revolution from 2021.
After trailing by two goals at the 34-minute mark, Luis Suárez played a crucial role by scoring twice within four minutes to help the team recover. Messi entered the game just before the hour mark, assisting Benjamin Cremaschi to put Miami on top in the 58th minute, before taking center stage himself to complete his hat trick starting in the 78th minute. With this feat, he also became Inter Miami’s all-time leading scorer with 33 goals.
Notably, Inter Miami became the first MLS team to have two players, Messi and Suárez, each score at least 20 goals in a season. Both players are currently behind D.C. United’s Christian Benteke in the Golden Boot race, however, Messi leads the league in combined goals and assists with a total of 36 in just 19 games.
Following the match, Messi and his teammates celebrated as they were awarded the MLS Supporters’ Shield for achieving the best regular-season record, marking the first major trophy for the club since its formation in 2020. The team had previously won the inaugural MLS vs. Liga MX Leagues Cup shortly after Messi’s arrival.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino also announced that Inter Miami would participate in the 2025 Club World Cup and will host the tournament’s opening match at Hard Rock Stadium. Looking ahead, Inter Miami now has the home-field advantage in the upcoming MLS playoffs, starting with a postseason match on Friday against the winner of the wild-card match between CF Montreal and Atlanta United.