Inter Miami skipper Lionel Messi created another big record on Saturday, October 18, by becoming the fastest player to reach 50 goals in MLS. The Argentine icon managed to reach the milestone in 53 games, breaking Zlatan Ibrahimovic's record of 54 matches.
Lionel Messi's 60th career hat-trick
Messi produced a hat-trick and provided an assist as Inter Miami finished the regular season with a thumping 5-2 win against the Nashville SC. It was the Argentine legend's 60th career hat-trick. He provided Inter Miami the lead in the first half, but two late goals saw the home side go into the break with a 2-1 lead.
The former Barcelona player scored a penalty to equalise the game before completing his hat-trick in the 81st minute to complete the second-half comeback. He finished it off with an assist in injury time as Inter Miami made it 5-2.
Lionel Messi's stats in MLS regular season
The hat-trick took his tally to 29 goals and secured the Golden boot for him, with his closest competitors, LAFC's Denis Bouanga and Nashville SC's Sam Surridge, finishing with 24 goals. The Argentine icon also has the highest number of assists (19) in the league. finishing the season with 48 goal contributions, just one less than Carlos Vela's record of 49.
Interacting with the media after the match, Javier Mascherano praised his star player and said:
"Well, what can I say about Leo? The truth is, well, today he was exceptional, as he usually is. Clearly, I think if anyone had any doubts about what his regular season was like, the reality is that he's cleared any doubts. They'll surely give him the MVP award for everything he's shown. Talking about the three goals he scored, well, happy for him because he helped us win the game again."
Lionel Messi is all set to be named as the MVP of the season. The former Paris Saint-Germain player would become the first player to lift the award in back-to-back seasons in the history of MLS.