Lionel Messi rolled back the years with a sensational four-goal performance as Inter Miami thrashed CF Montreal 7-1, ending a five-match winless run in emphatic fashion. The 39-year-old was directly involved in five of Miami’s seven goals, scoring four and setting up Luis Suarez as the hosts produced their biggest win of the season. It was also Messi’s first four-goal match for Inter Miami and his first anywhere since February 2020, when he struck four for Barcelona against Eibar in La Liga.
More than six years later, there was little sign that age had dulled Messi’s ability to take a game apart. Inter Miami went ahead in the 20th minute through Casemiro, who headed home from a Telasco Segovia corner for his first MLS goal for the club. Montreal responded through Fabian Herbers in the 37th minute, but their parity lasted only three minutes. Messi restored Miami’s advantage from a free kick that took a deflection on its way past goalkeeper Thomas Gillier. The goal opened the floodgates for a second-half exhibition.
Messi takes control as Miami run riot
Seven minutes after the restart, Messi produced arguably his best goal of the night. Picking up the ball and driving into the Montreal defence, he worked his way through traffic before finishing with his right foot to make it 3-1. Miami then briefly slowed the tempo before Messi turned provider in the 80th minute. The Argentine released Suarez with a perfectly weighted pass on the counterattack, allowing his former Barcelona teammate to finish one-on-one for Miami’s fourth.
Three minutes later, Messi completed his hat-trick. Montreal were punished after losing possession while attempting to play out from the back, with Rodrigo De Paul finding Messi, who calmly lifted the ball over Gillier. Teenager Alexander Shaw added a sixth in the 89th minute, scoring his first senior goal for Inter Miami, but Messi still had one final contribution left.
Deep into stoppage time, he curled another direct free kick into the net to complete his four-goal haul and seal a remarkable 7-1 victory. It marked the eighth time in Messi’s senior career that he has scored at least four goals in a match.
The performance also strengthened his position in the MLS Golden Boot race. Messi now has 18 goals from 19 league appearances this season, moving clear at the top of the scoring charts. For Inter Miami, the result carried considerable significance beyond Messi’s individual brilliance. They had entered the match without a victory in five games across all competitions, with their previous MLS win coming against the same opposition in late July. The club have also been undergoing a period of change on the touchline. Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez was recently appointed as the new head coach but is yet to formally begin work while awaiting the necessary work permits. Interim coach Guillermo Hoyos was unavailable on the sidelines against Montreal because of a suspension, leaving assistant Rafael Perez in charge during the rout.
There were other notable storylines, too. Casemiro registered his first league goal for Miami, while former Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez came off the bench to make his MLS debut for Montreal.
But the night belonged overwhelmingly to Messi. Six-and-a-half years after his previous four-goal game and more than three years into his Inter Miami career, the Argentine produced another reminder of his enduring scoring power — four goals, an assist and a performance that transformed a difficult run for Miami into their most emphatic victory of the season.
