Lionel Messi will go down as perhaps the greatest player to ever play the game as he simplifies everything on the pitch and his genius ideas flourish with ease.
Softfootball monitored the Major League Soccer (MLS) game Inter Miami and New York Red Bulls in the early hours of Sunday and it was another Messi show as the Argentine scored twice and created an assist in a 5-1 victory.
In the post match interview after the game via ESPN, Inter Miami Coach Javier Mascherano compared Messi with sports legends Michael Jordan and Rafael Nadal both men dominated basketball and Tennis respectively.
He said:
“No, it’s not a surprise [to see the madness that Messi causes] because I have been with him for eight years at Barca and 15 with Argentina.
“Especially in places where he doesn’t go with continuity people go crazy. I have seen it in airports, hotels, he generates this everywhere. I don’t think it’s only because of his football talent, but because of his admiration as an athlete and the way he’s transcended football.
“Leo Messi, Michael Jordan, Rafa Nadal, these are people that have transcended the sport. We are very privileged by the people that are close and can witness this.”
Mascherano like many of us have witnessed the insane genius of the 38-year-old Messi and it was no surprise that even the home fans celebrated his goals because it was so beautiful to watch. How can you deny yourself a burst of that pure excitement, witnessing a player that may come ones in a generation.
But this has happened before. Messi scored a hat-trick against Real Betis at the Estadio Benito Villamarin on March 17, 2019 in Seville, Spain. He was outstanding in that game scoring a free kick, adding a second before half-time and a superb lob that was the highlight of the night.
That goal led to a standing ovation from the Real Betis fans as the home fans began to applaud loudly and bowed in honour of Messi.
Against New York Red Bulls in Harrison, New Jersey, both Messi’s goals came in the second half. First was a pass from Sergio Busquest which he finished with aplomb then Luis Suarez assisted him for his second goal.
Messi’s assist to Jordi Alba sparked a comeback because it leveled scores after the home side has gone ahead. Telasco Segovia got two more goals to make it 3-1 at the end of the first half.
The pass from Busquets. The finish from Messi.
Doing what they do best. ✨ pic.twitter.com/DxSMRFDtOO
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 20, 2025
Interestingly, Messi’s second half brace was his 6th brace in seven matches and that in itself is incredible. It is also Inter Miami’s sixth win in the MLS match out of seven games. The only game they lost was against Cincinnati last Wednesday and Mascherano blamed that defeat on fatigue.
He explained:
“The reality is we had five games in the last two weeks, four of which were away. It is a complicated stage, especially because of the travel and the lack of rest between games.
“The game against Cincinnati was a reflection of the exhaustion the team carries, but now we have a long week. We will use it to give rest to those who are more tired, and with the expectation to recover a couple players that are injured and add them to the roster.”
Softfootball predicts that Messi will be a part of the Argentina squad to the 2026 World Cup that will be hosted in three countries, USA, Mexico and Canada despite being 38.
Inter Miami are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Philadelphia, but have three games in hand due to their participation in the Club World Cup this summer.
