Lionel Messi cemented his status as Major League Soccer’s premier scorer, claiming the regular season’s top individual honor with a decisive hat-trick in Inter Miami’s final match.
The 38-year-old Argentine concluded the regular season with 29 goals, outpacing his closest competitors by five goals. He also contributed 16 assists. This marks his first league top scorer title since his record-setting run with FC Barcelona in Spain’s La Liga in 2020/21.
Messi’s prolific performance on Saturday saw Inter Miami secure a 5-2 victory over Nashville. The crucial win came in the 34th and final matchday of the season.
He opened his scoring for the night in the 35th minute with a precisely placed shot from outside the box. Messi then converted a penalty in the 63rd minute, bringing the score to 2-2 after Nashville had briefly taken the lead.
Messi completed his hat-trick in the 81st minute, extending Inter Miami’s lead. Earlier, Baltasar RodrÃguez scored Miami’s third goal, following a sequence initiated by Messi. In injury time, Messi chose to assist Telasco Segovia for the final goal, sealing the 5-2 victory.
The victory positioned Inter Miami third in the Eastern Conference standings with 65 points. This places them alongside second-place Cincinnati and one point behind league leaders Philadelphia Union.
Inter Miami is now set to face Nashville, who finished sixth, in the first round of the best-of-three playoffs.
Since joining Inter Miami, Messi has amassed 39 goals and 20 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions. His remarkable career totals now stand at 916 goals and 412 assists, totaling 1,328 direct contributions in 1,185 matches.