messi new biography

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi, a forward for Inter Miami CF, is one of the world’s greatest soccer players and helped the Argentina national team win its third FIFA World Cup in 2022.

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1987-present

Lionel Messi News: Soccer Star Is the Subject of a New Apple TV+ Docuseries

Messi, now playing for Inter Miami CF of the MLS, helped his home country win soccer’s biggest event for the first time since 1986, scoring two goals in the final and leading Argentina to a 4-2 win over Kylian Mbappé and France on penalties. Argentina’s captain was also named the tournament MVP.

The new series follows up Messi Meets America , Apple’s 2023 look at the star striker’s arrival and first season in the MLS. Inter Miami begins the 2024 regular season also on February 21 with a match against Real Salt Lake.

Quick Facts

Early life of a soccer prodigy, club teams: barcelona, psg, and inter miami, argentina national team, tax fraud scandal, wife and children, charity and unicef, who is lionel messi.

Lionel Messi is an Argentinian soccer player who has played for FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and currently, the MLS club Inter Miami CF as well as the Argentina national team. As a teenager, Messi moved from Argentina to Spain after FC Barcelona agreed to pay for medical treatments related to his growth hormone disorder. At the club, he earned renown as one of the greatest players in history, helping FC Barcelona win more than two dozen league titles and tournaments. In 2012, he set a record for most goals in a calendar year and, a decade later, helped the Argentina national team win its third FIFA World Cup. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, and in July 2023, he joined Inter Miami.

FULL NAME: Luis Lionel Andres Messi BORN: June 24, 1987 BIRTHPLACE: Rosario, Argentina SPOUSE: Antonella Roccuzzo (2017-present) CHILDREN: Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer

Luis Lionel Andres “Leo” Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. As a young boy, Messi tagged along when his two older brothers played soccer with their friends, unintimidated by the bigger boys. At the age of 8, he was recruited to join the youth system of Newell’s Old Boys, a Rosario-based club.

Recognizably smaller than most of the kids in his age group, Messi was eventually diagnosed by doctors as suffering from a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth. Messi’s parents, Jorge and Ceclia, decided on a regimen of nightly growth-hormone injections for their son, though it soon proved impossible to pay several hundred dollars per month for the medication.

So, at the age of 13, when Messi was offered the chance to train at soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia, and have his medical bills covered by the team, Messi’s family picked up and moved across the Atlantic to make a new home in Spain. Although he was often homesick in his new country, Messi moved quickly through the junior system ranks.

Ultimately, Messi’s short stature—5 feet, 7 inches—combined with his speed and relentless attacking style, has drawn comparisons to another famous Argentinian footballer, Diego Maradona .

Messi played for FC Barcelona for 17 seasons before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 for two seasons. In July 2023, he joined the MLS club Inter Miami.

FC Barcelona

At age 13, Messi signed with FC Barcelona. His first appearance for the team was when he was 16. On May 1, 2005, Messi put himself in the record books as the youngest player to ever score a goal for the franchise.

Messi steered Barcelona to a wealth of success, most notably in 2009, when the left-footer’s team captured the Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup titles. That same year, after two consecutive runner-up finishes, he took home his first FIFA World Player of the Year honor, as well as his first Ballon d’Or award, the top European individual honor in football.

Messi became the first Argentinian player to win the Ballon d’Or. Even the great Maradona gushed about his fellow countryman. “I see him as very similar to me,” the retired player told the BBC. “He’s a leader and is offering lessons in beautiful football. He has something different than any other player in the world.”

Amazingly, the soccer wizard continued to improve, discovering new ways to elude defenders while leading Barcelona to La Liga and Spanish Super Cup championships in 2010 and 2011, as well as the ’11 Champions League title.

Messi embarked on an all-out assault on the record books in 2012. He became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match in early March, and a few weeks later, he surpassed Cesar Rodriguez’s club-record 232 goals to become Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer. By the end of the year, Messi had accumulated an astounding 91 goals in club and international play, eclipsing the 85 netted in a single calendar year by Gerd Muller in 1972. Fittingly, he broke another record when he was named the Ballon d’Or winner for the fourth consecutive time.

In 2013, the soccer great came back to earth somewhat due to the persistence of hamstring injuries, but he regained his record-breaking form by becoming the all-time leading scorer in La Liga and Champions League play in late 2014.

After helping Barcelona achieve a historic second treble in 2015, he was honored with his fifth Ballon d’Or trophy. Four years later, following another La Liga title, Messi again established a new standard for excellence by claiming his sixth Ballon d’Or.

On August 5, 2021, FC Barcelona announced it couldn’t resign Messi due to the team’s budget constraints and La Liga restrictions. Despite having voiced his desire to leave the club the prior season, Messi bid a teary farewell after 17 seasons: “This is really difficult for me after so many years spent here, being here my entire life. I’m not ready for this.”

Paris Saint-Germain

Four days after the shocking news from FC Barcelona, Messi signed with Paris Saint-Germain. The 34-year-old inked a two-year contract with the French club. The move saw him reunite with former teammate Neymar as well as the talented Kylian Mbappé.

Messi made his debut for the club on August 29, 2021, and scored his first goal that September. PSG won two Ligue 1 titles with Messi but twice failed to advance beyond the round of 16 in the Champions League finals.

Although his contract allowed for an optional third year at PSG, the team announced it would release Messi as a free agent when the deal expired on June 30, 2023. Earlier in the year, the club suspended and fined Messi after he visited Saudi Arabia on an unauthorized trip. This all but sealed fate on the soccer legend’s widely expected move.

Messi’s last game for PSG was June 3, 2023. In total, he started in 72 games, notching 32 goals and 34 assists.

Inter Miami CF

On June 7, 2023, Messi told two Spanish media outlets he planned to play for the MLS club Inter Miami CF, which is partially owned by former soccer player David Beckham . “I have made the decision that I am going to Miami,” Messi said at the time, per ESPN . Messi later told Time he strongly considered joining a Saudi Arabian team before deciding on Inter Miami.

A little over a month later, on July 16, the team officially welcomed him on a 2.5-year contract that runs through the 2025 season. The deal was reportedly worth around $150 million , including an annual salary between $50 million and $60 million , a signing bonus, revenue sharing with the league’s media partner, and team equity upon retirement.

Inter Miami immediately benefitted on and off the field from their new team captain’s presence. The club went on a 12-match winning streak and captured the Leagues Cup, an annual tournament between teams from the MLS and Liga MX. Messi wound up scoring 11 goals in 14 games overall. However, with Messi injured late in the season, Inter Miami went winless in seven straight and failed to qualify for the playoffs. He was named the club’s 2023 MVP in November.

Messi has directly boosted revenue for the team, as well. Attendance at home games spiked 40 percent , the most in the MLS. According to The Athletic , the least expensive Inter Miami season ticket prices rose from $485 to $884 per seat from 2023 to 2024. Even with the price jump, Inter Miami announced 2024 season tickets sold out at the end of November, two months out of the start of the preseason. Not surprisingly, his jersey became the top seller in the MLS .

Messi and Inter Miami open the 2024 MLS regular season on February 21.

In summer 2005, Messi quickly made a name for himself on his native country’s under-20 squad. He led Argentina to the title in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring on a pair of penalty kicks to propel the team over Nigeria. Less than two months later, he made his pro debut with Argentina in an August friendly match against Hungary but played less than two minutes before receiving a red card and being ejected from the game.

For all his success with Barcelona, Messi repeatedly came under fire for his inability to help Argentina’s national team win a major title. In the 2014 World Cup, Argentina lost to Germany in the final, though Messi was named player of the tournament that year. In 2016, following Argentina’s second consecutive loss to Chile in the final of the Copa America tournament, Messi announced he was ending his run with the national team.

The soccer great eventually reversed his decision, but his participation in the 2018 World Cup did not bring that elusive title, as hoped. After Messi scored an early goal in a 2-1 win over Nigeria that helped his team advance from the group stage, he was largely kept in check by France, his two assists not enough to stave off a 4-3 defeat that sent Argentina packing.

The following year, after Messi heavily criticized the referees in the wake of a 2-0 loss to Brazil in the Copa America semifinals, the Argentine captain was slapped with a three-game ban by the South American Football Confederation.

At last, in 2021 and 2022, Argentina and Messi found enough traction to bring home trophies that had long evaded them. First, the team won the Copa America—Argentina’s first major title in 28 years—in August 2021, besting Brazil in the final. Captain Messi tied for top goal scorer, alongside Colombia’s Luis Diaz, and was named player of the tournament. The next year, greater glory awaited at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Argentina captured the World Cup trophy on December 18, 2022, after a thrilling game against France that ended in a penalty shootout. Messi was named the Best FIFA Men’s Player for a second time and broke the record for most World Cup appearances with 26 games. Six jerseys that Messi had worn during the victorious championship run later sold for more than $7.8 million at auction.

In fall 2023, Messi scored three goals in qualifying games for the 2026 World Cup. However, as he nears the twilight of the his career, the soccer legend has adopted a realistic attitude about his future. “As long as I feel that I am fine and I can continue contributing, I am going to do it. Today, the only thing I think about is getting to the Copa America well and being able to compete in it,” Messi said of the 2024 tournament. “Then time will tell if I am [at the World Cup] or not. I’m going to be at an age (39) that normally doesn’t allow me to play in the World Cup.”

Messi won FIFA’s World Player Trophy five times, including four consecutive wins between 2009 and 2012, and has collected its contemporary the Best FIFA Men’s Player three times, in 2019, 2022, and 2023.

The soccer legend has won Europe’s Ballon d’Or a record eight times. When he won the Ballon d’Or in October 2023, Messi became the first active MLS player to do so. He’s also won the European Golden Shoe for top scorer six times, two more than his nearest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo .

In 2023, Time magazine named Messi its Athlete of the Year, pointing to his remarkable impact on soccer’s growing popularity in the United States.

In July 2016, Messi suffered a blow off the soccer field when a Barcelona court found him and his father guilty of three counts of tax fraud. During a four-day trial, Messi and his father denied breaking the law and claimed they were unaware of any tax illegalities they had committed.

However, they were both sentenced to 21 months in prison. Under Spanish law, first offenses under two years are suspended so they did not go to jail, but Messi was ordered to pay a fine of 2 million euros. His father was required to pay 1.5 million euros.

On June 30, 2017, Messi married Antonella Roccuzzo, his longtime girlfriend and the cousin of his best friend and fellow soccer player Lucas Scaglia. Messi met Roccuzzo in their hometown of Rosario when he was 5 years old. Their marriage, a civil ceremony dubbed by Argentina’s Clarín newspaper as the “wedding of the century,” was held at a luxury hotel in Rosario, with a number of fellow star soccer players and Colombian pop star Shakira on the 260-person guest list.

Messi and Roccuzzo have three children together: Thiago, born in November 2012; Mateo, born in September 2015; and Ciro, born in March 2018.

Although famously private off the field, Messi has quietly helped others in need. In 2007, he formed the Leo Messi Foundation to provide opportunities for disadvantaged youths. In early 2010, UNICEF named him a goodwill ambassador, with a focus on fighting for children’s rights across the globe.

• Every time I start a year, I start with the objective of trying to achieve everything, without comparing it to how I’ve done in other seasons.
• Whether it’s a friendly match, or for points, or a final, or any game—I play the same. I’m always trying to be my best, first for my team, for myself, for the fans and to try and win.
• I am competitive, and I feel bad when we lose. You can see it in me when we’ve lost. I’m in a bad way. I don’t like to talk to anyone.
• I made sacrifices by leaving Argentina, leaving my family to start a new life. I changed my friends, my people. Everything. But everything I did, I did for football, to achieve my dream.
• I have fun like a child in the street. When the day comes when I’m not enjoying it, I will leave football.
• I’ve never stopped being Argentine, and I’ve never wanted to. I feel very proud of being Argentine, even though I left there. I’ve been clear about this since I was very young, and I never wanted to change.
• Something deep in my character allows me to take the hits and get on with trying to win. I’ve always had this ability to get up and get on with it.
• I wasn’t teased as a child for my size. In fact, I think I had more affection because I was small.
• I am lucky, I live by my passion, and there are a lot of people who work, doing what they don't like and are badly paid for that.

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Messi has a record-setting game with a goal and 5 assists in Inter Miami’s 6-2 win over Red Bulls

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi falls on New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman during the first half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi dribbles the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer game against the New York Red Bulls, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi runs into New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

New York Red Bulls defender Kyle Duncan (6) advances the ball against Inter Miami during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami players celebrate after a goal against the New York Red Bulls during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami midfielder Matias Rojas, bottom leeft, celebrates after a goal against the New York Red Bulls during the second half of an MLS soccer game Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

New York Red Bulls midfielder Emil Forsberg advances the ball past Inter Miami defender Nicolás Freire (21) during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami’s Marcelo Weigandt, left, controls the ball in front of New York Red Bulls forward Elias Manoel (11) during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami defender Franco Negri, left, protects the ball from New York Red Bulls midfielder Emil Forsberg during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi had a record-setting night for Inter Miami.

He scored a goal and had five assists as Inter Miami trounced the New York Red Bulls 6-2 on Saturday night — with the Argentine great and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the game’s best player setting no fewer than three Major League Soccer records.

The six goal contributions, five assists and five assists in a half were all MLS records.

Messi, who earned the MLS Player of the Month Award for April, has now scored and assisted in six consecutive league matches.

“It has become redundant but it appears that he is always making history,” Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said. “If something was missing, it was this — to contribute in six goals.”

Luis Suárez had three goals and Matias Rojas scored twice as Inter Miami got six unanswered goals to come back from a 1-0 halftime deficit. Messi and Suárez now have a league-leading 10 goals each, helping keep Inter Miami (7-2-3, 24 points) atop the Eastern Conference.

The win extended Miami’s unbeaten string to six. The streak began after a 4-0 loss at New York on April 20, in which Messi did not play because of an injury.

“When he is not available, obviously, the team feels it,” Martino said.

Miami began the rout with Rojas’ equalizer in the 48th minute. Messi centered a pass to Rojas whose left-footed shot landed under the crossbar.

Suárez then fed a charging Messi with a touch pass and he beat New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel with a shot from 15 yards.

Rojas made it 3-1 with his second goal in the 62nd minute on an assist from Messi. The 28-year-old Rojas joined Inter Miami on April 23 and entered the match to start the second half.

“This is the ultimate satisfaction for a goal scorer,” Rojas said. “It makes it even more special because we accomplished it at home.”

Messi then contributed on former Barcelona teammate Suárez’s first goal in the 69th minute.

“Leo makes it easier for all of us,” Suárez said. “We know each other long enough. When we are on the pitch, we know how to spot each other without looking.”

Suárez also struck in the 75th and 81st minutes before the Red Bulls (4-2-5, 17 points) closed the scoring on Emil Forsberg’s penalty kick in stoppage time.

“We have many players that are capable of scoring,” Martino said. “At some points in the match we are going to find favorable moments. The issue is how we limit the unfavorable moments.”

New York controlled possession early and eventually capitalized on a Miami defensive breakdown that resulted in Dante Vanzeir’s goal in the 30th minute. José Carmona ran deep into the right wing of the large area and blasted a shot that bounced off the far post. An unmarked Vanzeir retrieved the deflection and converted from 15 yards.

Messi had his only scoring opportunity of the first half in the 24th minute, when Coronel stopped his shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba missed his third straight game because of a hamstring injury.

Both clubs will continue MLS play next Saturday. Inter Miami visits CF Montreal while the Red Bulls play host to New England.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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Leo Messi 's footballing career started in 1995 at Newell's Old Boys, where he played until the year 2000. At the age of 13, Lionel Messi crossed the Atlantic to try his luck in Barcelona, and joined the Under 14s. Messi made spectacular progress at each of the different age levels, climbing through the ranks to Barça C, followed by Barça B and the first team in record time.

From a young age Messi stood out due to his vision and his goalscoring ability, especially with his left foot, an endless source of magical inspiration. 

In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messi made his first team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new Do Dragao stadium.

The following championship-winning season, Messi made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, in Barcelona's derby win against Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium (0-1). 

That very season Messi became a regular member of Frank Rijkaard's first team squad. However, it was in the 2005/06 campaign that the Argentine really came to centre stage as he helped the team to their second Champions League victory and their 18th league title. With the departure of Ronaldinho in 2008, Messi became the focal point of the Barça forward line. 

Getting better every season, Messi and Barça won 35 trophies during the Argentine's time at the Club, including the six won in 2009 and the treble in 2015. 

Leo Messi and the treble trophies from 2009: Copa del Rey, Champions League and Liga

Messi’s individual achievements are also unprecedented: six Ballon d’Or awards, six times Champions League top scorer, six times Golden Shoe winner, eight times ‘Pichichi’ (top scorer) in La Liga, Ballon d’Or winner at the 2014 World Cup, FIFA World Player of the Year in 2009 and FIFA The Best winner in 2019. 

On an individual level Messi began to set records as a youngster and never looked back. The Argentine has made more appearances than anyone, 778, scored more goals, 672, provided most assists, 305 and won most trophies, 35. 

Other records included 91 goals in a calendar year, beating Gerd Müller's record from 1972 as well as surpassing Pelé's record for one club total of 643 goals.  

With the Argentina national side Messi played in four World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) as a Barça player, losing in the final in 2014 in Brazil against Germany. He has also played in six Copa Américas (2007, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021), losing in the final in both 2015 and 2016 to Chile on penalties before finally claiming a major honour for his country with the win over Brazil in the 2021 final. In the summer of 2008 he also played at the Beijing Olympics, and came home with a gold medal.

In the summer of 2021 the love affair between FC Barcelona and Leo Messi came to an end and the Barça number 10 brought an end to his career which has been him become a life long legend for FC Barcelona. 

• Seasons at the Club: 2003-2021
• Appearances: 778

Honours with FC Barcelona

• 3 FIFA Club World Cups (2009, 2011, 2015)
• 4 UEFA Champions League (2005/06, 2008/09, 2010/11, 2014/15)
• 3 UEFA Super Cups (2009/10, 2011/12, 2015/16)
• 10 Spanish leagues (2004/05, 2005/06, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2012/13, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2017/18, 2018/19)
• 7 Copas del Rey (2008/09, 2011/12, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2020/2021)
• 8 Spanish Super Cups (2005/06, 2006/07, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2013/14, 2016/17, 2018/19)
• 4 Catalan Cup (2004-05, 2006-07, 2012-13, 2013-14)
• 2 Catalan Supercup (2014-15, 2017-18)

Honours with Argentina

• 1 Olympic gold (2008)
• 1 Copa América (2021)

Individual awards

• 1 Laureus (2020)
• 1 FIFA World Player (2009)
• 1 The Best FIFA Football Award (2019)
• 2 UEFA Player of the Year (2010/11, 2014/15)
• 1 World Soccer Award Best Player (2015)
• 6 Ballons d'Or (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019)
• 4 Golden XI (2009, 2011, 2012, 2018)
• 6 Golden Shoe (2009/10, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19)
• 8 La Liga top scorer (2009/10, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21)
• 6 Top scorer UEFA Champions League (2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12 i 2018/19)
• 9 MVP LaLiga (2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2014/15, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19)
• 1 Golden Boy (2005)
• 1 Bravo Trophy (2007)

Most important individual records 

• Only player to win Ballon d’Or, FIFA World Player, La Liga top scorer and Golden Shoe in same season (2009/10)
• Player with most Ballons d'Or 
• Player with most Golden Shoes
• Player with most Pichichi Trophies
• Top goalscorer in a season in official competition (73 goals in 2011/12)
• Top goalscorer in calendar year (91 goals in 2012)
• Top goalscorer at one club Club (672 goals)
• Longest scoring streak in La Liga (33 goals in 21 consecutive matches 2012/13)
• Player with most matches  for Argentina
• All time top goalscorer in La Liga (474 goals in 520 matches)
• Top goalscorer in a single La Liga season (50 goals in 2011/12)
• Player with most hat-tricks in La Liga (36)
• Player with most goals form a free kick in La Liga (39 goals)
• Player with most wins in official competition (542 wins in 771 matches)
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Lionel MESSI

Born in Rosario, Argentina, in 1987, Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time, and his illustrious career proves why. The Argentinean footballer, who holds a record eight Ballon d'Or awards , has displayed his talent early on and has always been destined for greatness.

When Messi was 13 years old, he and his family moved to Barcelona, where the club assisted him in treating his growth hormone deficiency . He started playing for FC Barcelona's U14 team. The Argentinean quickly rose through the ranks, impressing everyone with exceptional skills and talent. At 17, he made his first senior appearance for the club and became a vital player for the Blaugranas.

The Rosario's native relationship with Barcelona has been very successful. During his 17-year career with the team, he helped them win numerous titles, including 10 La Liga titles , four Champions League crowns , and seven Copa del Rey trophies . He is also the all-time leading scorer in La Liga , with an incredible 474 goals to his name. He left the Spanish club in 2021 to join French powerhouse Paris Saint Germain , where he played two years before joining Inter Miami in the MLS.

On the international stage, the former Barca star has been a standout player for his country. He was instrumental in helping them win the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, where he won the Golden Ball , awarded to the competition's best player. He was also part of the team that won Olympic gold at the Beijing 2008 Games, which remains one of his most treasured career highlights.

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Lionel Messi eager ‘to begin new moment of my life’ at PSG – as it happened

Lionel Messi said he was ‘impatient’ to get to work and win trophies, while Nasser Al-Khelaifi assured reporters PSG are sticking to FFP rules

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Messi is speaking now but my Spanish is learnt from watching Money Heist with subtitles, so we’ll have to wait for the translated feed to catch up.

When they bought Paris, people wondered what they were going to do, but now they have the best player in the world. Al-Khelaifi thanks Messi and his father, saying he’s got no notes and is speaking from the heart, thanking everyone involved in making the deal happen. He’s grateful to people who believed in the project from day one and this is a great day for the club, but they’ve still not won anything and “the hard work starts now” – though we know there are different interpretations of what “hard work” means, as explained by Amnesty International .

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, next to Messi, is “very happy and very proud” to present Messi, saying it’s a great moment for Qatar the club. Messi is the only man to win six Ballon d’Or’s and “it’s amazing” what they’ve achieved. Yes, how on earth did they do it? It’s a mystery, a real head-scratcher.

...and it’s there! Messi has done it! He’s behind the desk! OH I SAY!

...into a small auditorium...

...past a fire extinguisher on his left...

He walks down the stairs...

Here comes Messi, in suit and with family.

“For practical reasons,” emails Cyril R, “PSG players tend to live in the western suburbs, where the training ground is (Saint-Germain-en-Laye). Neymar lives in Bougival and Di Maria in Neuilly-sur-Seine. My guess is that Messi will stay not too far from them.”

Ah, thanks.

The crowd are starting to sing – understandably so, all they want to do is support their team. But for the rest of us, there’s a fair bit more going on, none of it remotely edifying.

The press conference is imminent...

“Do you think PSG signing Messi is a bit of an overreaction to losing Ligue 1 to Lille?” asks Gary Byrne.

Not at all. Messi’s availability is a dream for owners desperate for legitimacy and for whom money is no object, never mind just before their country hosts a much-derided World Cup. As it goes, they’re still gagging to win the Champions League, but they’d have signed him even if they’d done that the last 39 years in a row.

Seeing as we’re talking about Paris, please allow me to recommend Les Misérables, Ladj Ly’s brilliant film about life in the banlieues. It’s on Netflix and definitely worth your time.

Outside, people are having fun.

I was just about to see what photos there are of this extravaganza, but before I entered a search term, this was at the top – normal country this – so it’s my duty to share. I do love a Wham bar.

Where do Paris players tend to live? In the city, or on the outskirts? I guess they might fancy the space you get further away from the centre, but if you can afford to be in town – and I daresay Messi can – that seems like something that’s hard to turn down.

Messi is apparently in the tunnel, but we’ve not go eyes on him yet. More news as I get it.

We’re now watching an action replay of Messi writing his name. Seriously. I’d like to see from above, please, and can we also have a reverse angle then stick lines on the screen to check it was on the line?

They’ve slipped into French now, dizgraze if you ask me. Ah, and back into English telling us that Paris is the world’s most popular tourist destination. I didn’t know that, but I’m not surprised as I remember being told that the Palace of Versailles gets more visitors than Buckingham Palace, despite not being in the capital nor having housed a royal family for a fair old while.

Tell you what, this must be a serious buzz for the rest of the Paris squad. Paredes and Di Maria not so much as they’re teammates with Messi for Argentina, but the others are suddenly getting to play with him out of the blue. It’s like going to work and finding treats “in the usual place” every single day.

Just looking at the ages of those involved, Neymar is 29 so should have two more years of being the player we know, while Messi, though 34, is still pretty handy. He might not be quite as quick running with the ball, but his passing is better now than it was at his peak and his finishing, especially from around 18-25 yards, probably is too, likewise his free-kicks.

Hearing lots of “is this the best forward line ever?” They haven’t played a game yet. — Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) August 11, 2021

I wonder whether Messi had any other offers, or whether he entertained them. Part of me is surprised he was so eager to move to Ligue 1 – I doubt many players would choose it over Serie A, the Bundesliga, La Liga and the Premeer League. Presumably Paris offered him most money, but I’m surprised he’s not wanting to play where the football is most fun – and I doubt that’s where he’s ended up, so many seasons coming down to a few big games in Europe. In any event, corona looks like rebalancing the global game in further in favour of the oil clubs, Paris, Chelsea and Man City – realistically, only Man United and Bayern Munich have the resources and reputation to stop them wading in when everyone else, the Spanish giant especially, are ailing.

The presenter keeps referring to “Ney”, like they’re boys; maybe they are. But imagine growing up in a Scottish playground with the name Nae ma.

There are fans outside the ground and Omar da Fonseca, an Argentinian who played a season for Paris in 85-86, singing Messi’s name. Ah, and we cut to a wide and there are actually quite a lot of people there, bouncing.

I do still wonder if Paris have enough in midfield – watching them over the last few seasons, that’s been the obvious weakness in the team. But if Angel di Maria has the legs, him alongside Verratti and Wijnaldum is not unlike Bran Flakes.

Mauricio Pochettino, though. Gets fired from Spurs having won nowt, gets the Paris job and avoids winning the league but takes a Champions League doing ... and now he manages perhaps the greatest player ever. Imagine if he manages a repeat! It’ll be interesting to see, though, the extent to which he imposes the rigorous pressing and running that worked so well at Spurs – are Messi and Neymar even capable anymore? – and whether it’s Messi on the right and Mbappé through the middle, or vice-versa.

The telly presentation, on PSG’s website, is underway, and can be watched here .

Thanks Tom and morning everyone. “Lionel Messi plays for Paris Saint-Germain” is one of those weird, rare sentences that simultaneously makes you say “You what?!” and “Of course!”, both the opposite of football and apotheosis of football. Unlike the majority of our greatest footballers – Garrincha, Pele, Best, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Maradona, Ronaldinho – Messi represents little bar being good at football, so in a sense, Parc des Princes is the perfect home for him. Of course, the supporters of PSG and city of Paris give the club a unique identity, but to the majority of others, it doesn’t mean the most. But here we are so here we are.

Morning everyone , and welcome, as one of the more remarkable/decadent/stunning/depressing transfer sagas of our age is consummated at the Parc des Princes with Lionel Messi’s unveiling by Paris Saint-Germain . The Argentina forward signed a two-year deal with PSG on Tuesday worth around €35m a year net, with an option for a further year, after his tear-stained departure from Barcelona on Sunday. And today he will be formally unveiled at a press conference that starts at 10am BST. Daniel will be here shortly for all the news and reaction.

In the meantime, here’s the inside gen:

• Lionel Messi
• Paris Saint-Germain

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In One Moment, Messi and P.S.G. Make It All Work

The Lionel Messi goal that completed a Champions League win over Manchester City offered a flash of his past, and a glimpse of his new club’s future.

By Rory Smith

PARIS — Lionel Messi picked the ball up in that spot, the one that has served as the starting point for so many of his finest moments, the one that he knows so well that it might as well be his spot. It has, for 15 years, been his base camp, his happy place: a few yards inside from the right touchline, a few yards from halfway.

He was standing still as he controlled it. He had been standing still for some time, by that stage. Paris St.-Germain had taken an early lead, through Idrissa Gueye, and had spent most of the rest of the game desperately trying to fend off Manchester City’s unrelenting attacks.

It had maintained its advantage a little through judgment — the industry of Gueye and Ander Herrera, the obduracy of Marquinhos, the sheer, indomitable size and improbable elasticity of Gianluigi Donnarumma — and a little through luck. City cut through, again and again, only for P.S.G. to repel the incursions at the last possible moment.

As City, the Premier League champion, turned the screw, the forward line that acts as P.S.G.’s crown jewel seemed to lose interest. At first, both Neymar and Kylian Mbappé had lent a hand, dutifully following their runners, doggedly helping out their fullbacks. Even Messi, in the first half-hour or so, had made a point of hurrying and harrying his opponents.

The longer the game wore on, though, the more sporadic those efforts became. That has always been the question with this iteration of P.S.G., of course: For all its formidable talent, how can a team built around three superstars — three players who, on most sides, would have other players to do the dirty work for them — thrive against the well-oiled machines that, for the most part, dominate modern soccer?

In one sense, City and P.S.G. are mirror images. Both have been designed almost from scratch. Both are fueled by the bottomless wealth of Gulf States. Both stand for projects that see soccer as a means in some greater game, not as an end in itself. And both have been constructed as platforms for and monuments to individuals.

The only differences, really, are that the individuals at the heart of the P.S.G. project run around on the field while City’s issues instructions from the side, and that City’s approach dovetails more neatly with the exigencies of the elite game: The system crafted by Pep Guardiola is king, and his billion-dollar squad must submit to it. At P.S.G., the system is secondary to the stars.

As Tuesday’s game wore on, it felt as if that would be the lesson to be drawn. City had the ball. P.S.G. chased shadows. Or, rather, most of P.S.G.’s players did. Gueye and Herrera and the indefatigable Marco Verratti closed down spaces and put out fires. Increasingly, Messi and Neymar and Mbappé ambled around, no longer willing to chase back. A tenet of modern soccer said that the host’s luck could not last.

Then Messi got the ball. He has to work through the gears just a little these days, so he gathered speed as he approached City’s penalty area, drifting just a touch more to the center with every step, as if drawn to the edge of the box by the gravity of the goal itself.

It is here that Messi has always come to life. He was at full speed, but there was no sense of haste; it seemed he was waiting for all of the other moving parts of the scene to be just so before he played his hand. He saw Achraf Hakimi bursting down the right, unbalancing City’s shape. He saw Mbappé burst across the box at an angle. He waited.

When Messi signed with P.S.G., it was the prospect of seeing him play alongside Neymar — for so long his heir apparent — and Mbappé, the player most likely to inherit his crown as the best player in the world, that made the whole thing palatable.

He did not, after all, want to leave Barcelona: He made that perfectly clear. The greatest player of his, or perhaps any, generation had been forced to leave only because of the suicidal economics of the modern game. When it emerged that Barcelona could no longer pay him, he had little choice but to sign for one of two clubs.

Only P.S.G. and City, the two teams for whom money is no object, the two teams who have done so much to distort soccer’s economics, the two teams backed by nation states using the world’s most popular sport as a geopolitical pawn, could afford him. There was no romance here; it was cold, heartless business, nothing more.

The chemistry has not been immediate. Mbappé and Neymar, occasionally, seem to butt heads, one complaining that the other does not share the ball quite as much as he might. Messi’s start had been slow, too, as he recovered from a delayed preseason. Even the Harlem Globetrotters, after all, have to practice their tricks.

For much of this game, too, the P.S.G. trio seemed to be getting to know one another. They combined fitfully, in bursts, flickering to life and then subsiding again. It was possible to wonder if this grand experiment, this faintly pubescent attempt to bring FIFA Ultimate Team to life might be doomed to failure.

On the edge of the box, Messi finally released the ball. There is a clairvoyant streak to Messi’s genius: It is not just that he seems to see the field from on high, a shifting geometric pattern playing out beneath him, but that he gives the impression he can see into the future, too. So when he finally released the ball, it came with instructions. He did not so much pass it to Mbappé as loan it to him. His teammate had little choice but to give it back.

Messi did not, perhaps, know quite how Mbappé would do it — the slick back-heel that wrong-footed City’s defenders was a virtuoso testament to the French striker’s own brilliance — but he knew that, if Mbappé did return the ball, it would roll to his other favorite spot: on the arc just outside the box.

With Aymeric Laporte snapping at his heels, the ball arrived just as Messi did. There was no time to take a touch, but Messi has never needed time, not here. He swept his left foot through the ball, a motion every bit as smooth and apparently effortless as a Roger Federer forehand.

In City’s goal, Éderson set his feet and readied himself to jump. On the replays, the moment when he realized the futility of it was almost visible: the slight sinking look in his eyes as he saw the dip, the fade, the swerve on Messi’s shot.

Messi was running for the corner before the ball hit the net, before the crowd had computed the physics, before it was possible, really, to understand that he had done it. The whole thing had taken no more than six or seven seconds, from standstill to bedlam, but that was more than long enough.

It remains to be seen if this P.S.G. team, a 2-0 victor on the day, can work well enough to win the Champions League. It will take years to parse what this era of teams backed by unimaginable wealth means to the game, to fully comprehend the change that it has wrought. But for a moment, just a moment, the questions and the concerns did not matter.

All there was, just then, was Messi, his arms outstretched, full of joy, and a stadium, with arms aloft, full of awe, marveling at what he had done, at what he can do.

Rory Smith is the chief soccer correspondent, based in Manchester, England. He covers all aspects of European soccer and has reported from three World Cups, the Olympics, and numerous European tournaments. More about Rory Smith

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Lionel Messi

20 moments that defined barcelona maestro.

Words by Ben Church and Calum Trenaman, CNN

H e’s one of the world’s greatest ever players, who appeared destined to be a one-club man. But now Lionel Messi’s relationship with Barcelona looks to be irreparably fractured. CNN looks at 20 defining moments in the career of the football superstar, who mesmerized, broke records and transcended his sport.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona: The highs and lows 0:59

October, 2004

La liga debut.

At just 17 years, three months, and 22 days old, Lionel Messi makes his official league debut for Barcelona, coming on as a substitute late in the game. against Espanyol. At the time, he becomes the youngest player to represent the club in an official game after joining the club’s famed La Masia academy in 2000, moving from Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys as a 13-year-old.

August, 2005

International debut.

Messi makes his debut for Argentina in a friendly against Hungary at the age of 18, coming on in the 63rd minute but receives a red card and is sent off just two minutes later for a perceived elbow against defender Vilmos Vanczak.

December, 2005

There’s no doubt Barcelona has something special on its hands and the world is starting to take notice as well when he’s named the Golden Boy -- the award for the best young player in Europe.

March, 2006

First international goal.

After a rocky start to his international career, Messi scores his first goal for Argentina with a signature run and curled left-foot effort in a friendly defeat to Croatia.

World Cup debut

Coming on in the 74th minute against Serbia and Montenegro, Messi becomes the youngest-ever player to represent Argentina at the World Cup. He scores the final goal in a 6-0 win, becoming the youngest scorer at the tournament and the sixth-youngest goalscorer in tournament’s history. However, host Germany knocks Argentina out of the tournament in the quarterfinals.

March, 2007

First club hat-trick.

Messi is gaining a reputation for being one of the hottest teenagers in world football by now and his three goals against Real Madrid in 2007 turned him into a household name. It’s his first hat-trick for the club and certainly not his last.

April, 2007

His greatest goal.

Few goals in the history of football can compare to this one. Messi slaloms his way past multiple Getafe defenders to score perhaps the greatest goal of his career. It strangely mirrors a goal scored by compatriot Diego Maradona against England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

August, 2008

Olympic gold.

Barcelona initially bans Messi from taking part in the tournament before new club coach Pep Guardiola steps in to allow his participation. Lining up in an all-star Argentina side, featuring fellow youngsters Sergio Aguero and Angel di Maria, Argentina wins every match on their way to securing the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Champions League success

Messi had already won the Champions League in 2006 when making his way into the first team but he is the star man in 2009. He finishes the campaign as the tournament's top scorer and nets in the final against Manchester United in a 2-0 win at Rome’s Olympic Stadium. He’s won a career total of four European titles to date.

December, 2009

First ballon d’or.

Having inspired Barcelona to an historic treble in the same year -- it won the league, domestic cup and Champions League -- Messi is officially named the best player in the world for the first time.

More World Cup agony

Mirroring the 2006 World Cup, Germany defeats Argentina in the quarterfinals in 2010, this time by a 4-0 margin. Messi is still named in the Team of the Tournament, though coach and Argentina legend Diego Maradona is sacked after the World Cup. Failing to replicate his performances for Barcelona, and Maradona’s 1986 World Cup heroics, Messi suffers accusations of caring more about club than country.

August, 2011

Argentina captain.

After a dismal 2011 Copa America tournament held in Argentina, Messi is made captain of the national team under new manager Alejandro Sabella. The appointment surprises many as Messi had come under criticism for what some saw as sub-par performances at the tournament.

March, 2012

Barcelona scoring record.

Goals just keep coming for the magician at club level and, at just 24, he breaks Barcelona’s scoring record previously held by Cesar Rodriguez. His first goal against Granada pulls him equal on 232, before his second and third break it.

World Cup defeat

Argentina loses 1-0 to Germany in the World Cup final after a Mario Götze winner in extra-time. Messi begrudgingly accepts the Golden Ball award for player of the tournament.

November, 2014

La liga scoring record.

Records keep falling at the feet of Messi. He breaks Telmo Zarra's La Liga record of 251 goals. Once again, Messi produces a hat-trick against Sevilla to pull ahead in the all-time rankings. He currently has 444 goals and 10 league titles to his name.

Copa America defeat

Messi’s goal in the Copa America Centenario quarterfinals establishes him as Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 54 goals. However, having lost the previous year’s Copa America final to Chile, the 2016 edition finishes the same way. Messi announces his international retirement.

August, 2016

Retirement reversal.

After a short campaign for Messi to reverse his decision to retire, which included pleas from Argentina’s president Mauricio Macri and a newly unveiled statue of Messi by Buenos Aires mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, the Barca star chooses to continue playing for La Albiceleste, saying: “My love for my country and this shirt is too great.”

August, 2019

After a forgettable 2018 World Cup, Argentina finishes third in the following year’s Copa America. However, Messi is sent off in the 37th minute of the third-place playoff. He blames his dismissal on his previous criticism of the tournament’s pitches and refereeing. He refuses to accept his third-place medal, and receives a three-month ban from international football as well as a $50,000 fine.

December, 2019

Record ballon d’or wins.

Messi’s club statistics over his career can only be challenged by one man, Cristiano Ronaldo. The pair practically share the Ballon d’Or award for a decade but, in 2019, Messi wins it for a record sixth time. Ronaldo is still on five.

August, 2020

Barca humiliated.

A tumultuous season for Messi reaches boiling point in the Champions League quarterfinals against Bayern Munich. He’s part of Barca team embarrassingly beaten 8-2 in what could be his last game in a Barcelona shirt.

Messi proves difference-maker to power Miami past Red Bulls

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez shine in the second half as Inter Miami thrashes New York Red Bulls 6-2 in MLS. (2:54)

• Lizzy Becherano

MIAMI -- No one inside Chase Stadium on Saturday night could have predicted what was to come at halftime. Inter Miami CF were losing 1-0 at home to New York Red Bulls as the teams came back out after the break. Forty-five minutes later, Lionel Messi broke the MLS record for most goal contributions in a single match in a 6-2 victory .

The Argentine forward had already set up one goal for Matías Rojas before he scored himself, and he then assisted another for Rojas and all three Luis Suárez goals in spectacular fashion.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Dante Vanzeir had opened the scoring for the Red Bulls, giving the Herons flashbacks of their dreadful first confrontation with New York this season when they lost 4-0 at the Red Bull Arena on March 23. Inter Miami had played through the international break and also missed several players through injury-induced absences.

Messi missed the game with a hamstring injury, though he would have been away with Argentina if fit, watching from afar as Miami faced a difficult challenge.

The lack of offensive options forced Martino into a 5-3-2 lineup with Suarez and Leonardo Campana leading the attack. It only took the Red Bulls three minutes to score.

Vanzeir supplied Lewis Morgan with a through ball, inspiring the No. 9 to complete the right-footed strike from just outside the box into the lower left corner of the goal. Defender Tomás Avilés struggled.

Morgan scored a hat trick, while Wikelman Carmona celebrated his first contribution of the season. The Herons concluded the night with seven shots, two on target, 70% possession and no goals. Miami was dumbfounded.

"There is not much to say, except that we were outmatched from start to finish," Martino said after that first meeting. "When a team enters a game without the desire to win, without spirit, without competing, and the other side just wants to win the game, they are going to win it."

Six weeks later, the first half gave the impression that the Red Bulls might just be Miami's kryptonite. Only this time around, Inter Miami boasted their not-so-secret weapon.

After halftime, Messi returned to the pitch with vengeance. After just three minutes he quickly worked the ball on the right, finding a pocket of space to provide Rojas with the perfect pass to complete the left-footed strike.

Two minutes later, Messi found the back of the net himself with a shot into the net from the center of the box. The equalizer calmed Miami's nerves and frazzled the opponent. The rainstorm of goals persisted until Suarez completed his first MLS hat trick.

"It's easier with Leo," Suarez said. "Obviously we know each other, and sometimes you'll notice we know where the other is and do movements without having to look at one another. It's good for the team.".

Messi and Suárez now have a league-leading 10 goals each, and the Argentina star also leads MLS in assists with 12.

Head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino has been witness to many of Messi's phases, coaching him at Barcelona from 2013-14 and with Argentina from 2014 to 2016. He also faced the forward while coaching the Paraguayan and Mexican national teams.

But even after watching him for years, Martino emphasized the impactful performance against the Red Bulls will be difficult to witness again.

"Messi had exceptional games in Barcelona, during my time with him," Martino said. "But I also remember a semifinal with Paraguay in the Copa America in Chile, where he didn't score a goal and he was still the best player on the field. In Barcelona, he had a game against Valencia where we were losing 2-0 and then won 3-2 with three goals from him.

"And there was another against Sevilla where we were losing 1-0 and then he scored three goals and we won 4-1. I always say this, and it's redundant at this point, but he always does something new. To have involvement in all six goals of a team's 6-2 is something that will be difficult to see again."

As so many predicted, Messi has become an integral part of Inter Miami's success.

"He's not the key component just because of this game," Martino concluded. "He always is. Today, the association between Messi and Luis in the second half worked well, like old times. When they find each other, the team is able to back them up in the game, and when we find space, they are very influential in the game.

"There is a reason MLS has Designated Players, and he is ours. So, when he is missing, the team feels it."

Since he made his debut in July 2023, Inter Miami is 2-4-6 (WDL) when he does not play and 15-7-3 when he is on the pitch across all competitions.

Lionel Messi, Inter Miami face CF Montreal with record-setting MLS ticket sales

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are back in action this weekend, north of the border.

Inter Miami visits CF Montreal on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Stadium Saputo in Montreal, as Messi and the club hope to continue their recent hot streak.

The match is considered the “hottest” Inter Miami ticket this season, by Vivid Seats, with an average ticket price of $465. It also ranks in the Top 10 of most expensive MLS tickets sold since 2009.

The Montreal match also begins a Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday stretch of games for Inter Miami, where Messi’s availability could be monitored a month ahead of Copa America 2024 . Inter Miami will visit Orlando City on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., and will host D.C. United on May 18.

“We will see what [Saturday’s] game is like, and how the players basically end up there, and determine those in better condition for the game in Orlando,” Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said.  

Will Messi play in Montreal?

Messi is healthy and expected to play in Montreal.

A rule of thumb for Messi fans to remember: If he’s healthy, he’ll travel and play in games.

How to watch CF Montreal vs. Inter Miami

The Inter Miami match on the road at CF Montreal is available via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

• WATCH : Messi and Inter Miami travel to take on CF Montreal on Apple TV
• TICKETS : Experience Messi and Inter Miami in person on the road in Montreal
• SHOP : Get the latest Messi and Inter Miami team gear from the MLS Store

Inter Miami’s game at CF Montreal is hottest MLS ticket this season

Vivid Seats says Saturday’s Montreal game is the most expensive MLS ticket sale average they’ve documented for a match this season at $465.

The previous record was Inter Miami’s second game this season against the L.A. Galaxy, which had an average ticket sale price of $446.

The Montreal game ranks seventh in the Top 10 of most expensive games since 2009, with Messi and Inter Miami games taking 8 of the 10 top spots.

Messi has been on a tear in MLS games

Messi made MLS history, becoming the first player to record five assists in a game, and record six goal contributions in a match, during  Inter Miami’s 6-2 blowout win over the New York Red Bulls last Saturday.

Messi is tied with teammate Luis Suárez for the league-lead with 10 goals and leads all MLS players with 12 assists – despite missing four league games while dealing with a hamstring injury from March 13 to April 6.

Messi could make MLS history again against Montreal. With a goal and assist, he could become the second player to have multiple goal contributions in nine straight games, joining Cobi Jones, who did it in the first nine games in 1998.

Will Jordi Alba play against Montreal?

Defender Jordi Alba – one of Inter Miami’s four core Barcelona pieces along with Messi, Suárez and Sergio Busquets – will not play against Montreal.

Alba has returned to practice, but Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said he wants to wait at least one more match before Alba returns from a right hamstring injury, he suffered on April 13 against Sporting Kansas City.

Inter Miami looking for 'revenge' in rematch against Montreal

Inter Miami sits atop the MLS Eastern Conference with 24 points from 12 matches played, and a 7-3-2 (win-draw-loss) record.

One of the losses came against Montreal, which won 3-2 on March 10 in a match Messi did not play to rest a shin injury.

Considering Inter Miami’s 6-2 win vs. New York Red Bulls last week was payback for a 4-0 loss Messi also did not play, the Inter Miami-Montreal match should be an exciting one for fans.

“They took three points from us at home here, and now we're going to try and take three points from them there and return the favor, and have a little bit of a revenge in a sense, just like we had last week against the Red Bulls as well,” Inter Miami’s Julian Gressel said.

How Messi fueled Inter Miami’s six-goal second half against the Red Bulls

Lionel Messi set multiple MLS records on Saturday as Inter Miami dismantled the New York Red Bulls 6-2. 

Messi’s five assists and one goal catapulted him ahead of former LAFC forward Carlos Vela’s rate during his record-setting 2019. It also set new high marks for assists and goal contributions in one MLS game.

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It was a masterclass second half from Miami, forever overshadowing the fact that the Red Bulls went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

Before breaking down how Miami scored six goals in 45 minutes, thanks in large part to Messi, it’s important to understand the opponent. New York’s season was off to a great start entering Saturday night, having lost just once in their first 10 games. Emil Forsberg has swiftly acclimated to his new starring role in midfield, homegrown players Daniel Edelman and John Tolkin have continued to impress and last year’s marquee signing Dante Vanzeir has been a chance-creating machine. On Saturday, the roles reversed with Forsberg setting up Vanzeir’s second goal of the season. 

They’ve also found success despite a notable departure from their football group’s guiding principles. The Red Bulls appointed former Hertha BSC manager Sandro Schwarz as head coach this offseason. Seemingly, that appointment also came with approval to abandon the dogmatic Red Bull DNA, allowing his team to defend differently than years past. 

Playing with a similarly positioned defensive line — the average opponent has been flagged offside 26 meters from goal in both 2023 and 2024 — the Red Bulls have traded some of that energy expending from high pressing for additional intentionality in possession. They’re more selective with their passes instead of forcing it upfield, going from a 71.6% completion rate in 2023 to 80.7% this year. 

That focus on retention extends to their backline, which is far less likely to hoof it down the center of the pitch than in bygone seasons.

It’s important to stress that this year’s New York Red Bulls are a good team who have been doing good things for the majority of the season. It’s also worth emphasizing that this is a good team that’s still working on encoding a new coach’s scheme into its second-nature decision making. 

With that said, here’s how Miami forced them into one of the worst 45-minute windows that any MLS team has ever experienced.

1. The opener

Miami usually begins sequences 45.6 meters from Drake Callender’s net — average for an MLS team since 2019. They also like stringing together long series of passes. 14.3% of Miami’s sequences this season involve nine or more passes. That’s second-highest in the league (trailing the LA Galaxy), and is also higher than any team has recorded in a full season since the start of 2019. On Saturday, they raised that rate to 17.6% of their sequences against New York.

The most lethal example came just after halftime. A misplayed ball by Frankie Amaya led to Miami clearing it off an opponent for a throw-in. Fourteen passes later, they were back on level terms.

Miami takes its time to plot its course upfield. Inviting pressure into their defensive half declutters the part of the field that serves as Messi’s playground. Given some relatively limited mobility at play, relying on progressing upfield on the dribble would be an arduous task. Instead, slinging passes is the solution — and doing so effectively requires plenty of open space, hence the recirculations. 

Eventually, four Red Bulls commit to pressing, and there’s enough room for some home cooking. Sergio Busquets — remember him? He’s become weirdly anonymous as we discuss Miami — knocks the ball into the space to his right before cleanly hitting a 45-meter pass to Messi, with midfielder Matías Rojas darting forward to add another option.

Messi serves as an unconventional hold-up forward in these cases: obviously far more diminutive than the usual battering ram, but his technical ability in tight spaces and otherworldly reading of a live game can be even more effective. Plus, he’s generally accepted as the focal point of every defense’s game-planning. He’s the fire, they’re the moths. It often goes up in flames.

2. When playing out of the back goes wrong

Luis Suarez is down. I repeat: Luis Suarez is down.

Here, Suarez can’t win an aerial duel, with the ball falling to Andres Reyes, who hits it wide to Kyle Duncan. The right back tries a give-and-go with Wikelman Carmona.

(Note: Here we will refer to an Argentine, a Colombian, a Paraguayan, and a Uruguayan — and plenty of players from the United States. It could also have mentioned a Brazilian and an Ecuadorian from Miami’s bench. Fight back that Copa América fever while you can.)

From there, Rojas converges as Carmona looks upfield. To him, any forward progress is a risk, and he seems to retain possession — one of those breaks from past principles. The indecision leaves him facing his own goal as Rojas pokes around him to knock the ball off of his shin to where Suarez is, having only just returned to his feet. Suarez helps the ball get to Messi, and you’ve seen what happens next hundreds of times over the years. 

In a way, the goal happens because Suarez plays possum rather than in spite of the tumble. New York let its guard down around the Uruguayan, and some smart two-man pressing manipulated the Red Bulls enough to bring Suarez back into the play. The decision-making is suspect, but this Suarez-to-Messi goal is really the product of two supporting players’ industry.

3. Matías Rojas could get used to this

In Brazil, Matías Rojas’ biggest strengths were progressing the ball with his passing, shooting at relative volume, outpacing his expected goals with his goal output and being proactive at challenging opponents in possession. The Paraguayan joined Miami within budget last month after freeing himself from contract constraints with Corinthians thanks to unpaid image rights disputes . 

Rojas would be the best or second-best player on at least eight other MLS teams. Amongst Miami’s ex-Barcelona bunch, he’s more of a grizzled character actor than a leading man. 

In just his second MLS appearance, Rojas (who came on at halftime) is already forging a partnership in the build-up with Messi. The duo weaves through the Red Bull midfield, as multiple opponents are now committing fully to any opportunity to win back the ball and regain a foothold before this gets ugly. Unfortunately, it also leaves them just out of position when a lunge doesn’t pay off. 

The pair gets from midfield to the box in seven seconds, finessing through five opponents in the central channel with absolute precision. You get the sense that Rojas is really going to enjoy playing with Messi.

4. Suarez’s turn

Since making his regular season debut in August, Miami is 8-2-1 when Messi is in the starting lineup. All three teams that managed to nick a result forced Miami to shoot beyond 18 yards on at least 35% of their attempts. Miami has a record of 2-2-1 when taking shots outside the box that often and 6-0-0 when taking at least two-thirds from inside the box. It’s a small sample size, but the theory makes sense in concept: it’s harder to convert from long-range and hard to avoid players between the ball and goal.

Granted, making Miami shoot deep still isn’t a winning lottery ticket for your career. The one team to beat Miami when Messi started was Charlotte FC, who silenced Miami 1-0 on October 21 to secure a spot in the play-in round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The coach behind that performance, Christian Lattanzio, was fired two weeks later and is still unemployed.

This past weekend, the Red Bulls were not among those five teams to force over a third of Miami’s shots to come from long distance.

In the past, Messi would take a ball like Suarez’s from Frame III, dart toward the box on his left foot, and make a goalkeeper look silly. Whether to protect his hamstring or set records for fun, he looks to play distributor as New York hurries back into its shape. The midfield is gassed, leaving the Red Bulls’ backline to fend for themselves. 

It’s hard to explain why two center backs would simultaneously decide not to at least get into Suarez’s space as Messi sets up to pass at the edge of the box. Perhaps Sean Nealis (the closer center back, top in the gif) wanted to be ready in case Messi rounded his teammates and dribbled toward goal. No matter the intention, it probably didn’t go according to plan, as Suarez is in the right spot to swing a leg and get in on the scoring.

5. Still Suarez’s turn

Miami has been far better at pressing from the front in 2024, forcing opponents into turnovers in their defensive third to create short-distance attacking moments. Through a dozen games, 21.7% of Miami’s possession sequences began in the attacking third. This approach caters to  Suarez and Messi’s lack of mobility at this stage in their careers. 

On Saturday, Miami began its possessions in the final third for just 9.9% of its sequences. That’s the lowest rate since Messi joined, with the previous being 13.8% against the Red Bulls last August. Doing so limited the potential for quick-strike counters and required a team of veterans to log more yards. In theory, this would help.

In practice, that task is made easier when the veteran team is on a hot streak and the more youthful one is frustrated and tired. 

Edelman, Red Bulls’ 21-year-old midfielder, gets beaten with a classic on-ball Messi feint, and his begging for assistance goes unanswered. Messi and Suarez are off, and the Red Bulls more closely resemble a herd of deer staring down some hot pink headlights.

The pair picked the defense apart through good footwork, smart passing and second-nature trust in a teammate’s decision-making concurrent with your own. Even if Suarez isn’t the runner he used to be, he’s still brilliant in the final third . 

6. Completing the 12-minute hat trick

More of the same, really. Suarez and Messi are out there having a catch in the “Field of Dreams”, and everyone around them may as well be a ghost. 

That doesn’t take away from a couple of brilliant individual tricks in the sequence, from Messi’s outer-boot assist to Suarez’s control to get around goalkeeper Carlos Coronel and finish from a quickly closing angle. 

Coronel registered -2.73 goals prevented when comparing six conceded goals to the expected goals on target he faced. How bad is that? Since the start of 2019, there have been 4,711 times where a goalkeeper has played all 90 minutes in an MLS game. Only four among those thousands had a worse rate in any one contest, each ultimately conceding six or seven goals. 

There wasn’t one obvious error that Miami exploited, and the Red Bulls’ midfield and forward lines largely played well. The reality remains that Miami is just that good when Messi and Suarez start. The duo has made a mockery of more illustrious competitions and opponents throughout their careers. 

Take solace, New York — they’ve done this to clubs and national teams the world over. It likely wasn’t personal.

(Top photo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

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Jeff Rueter is a staff writer for The Athletic who covers soccer in North America, Europe, and beyond. No matter how often he hears the Number 10 role is "dying," he'll always leave a light on for the next great playmaker. Follow Jeff on Twitter @ jeffrueter

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Messi finds camera, tells whole world he loathes new mls rule, share this article.

MLS has some new rules, and Lionel Messi thinks at least one of them should go.

During Inter Miami’s 3-2 win at CF Montréal, Messi quite literally looked into a broadcast camera to announce his take on MLS’s new guidelines for players who need to leave the field for treatment.

Under the new regulations, a player who stays down injured for longer than 15 seconds must leave the field for a minimum of two minutes, and is not allowed back until the referee waves them on.

Messi got to give the new rule a spin after an ugly 40th minute challenge from Montréal defender George Campbell on Saturday.

Messi understandably stayed down for well over a minute after the heavy contact with his shin and foot. Since referee Drew Fischer didn’t book Campbell, Messi was required to trudge off the field with Miami’s training staff.

The icon got to the touchline at Stade Saputo in the 43rd minute, watching on as play resumed for only a few seconds. The next stoppage? Another Montréal foul, this time with Samuel Piette clipping Luis Suárez in prime territory for Messi to fire a direct free kick on goal.

However, Fischer enforced the new regulations, meaning Messi had to stand on and watch. That’s when Messi offered up his take on the rule, which was the product of some experimentation in MLS Next Pro dating back to the 2022 season.

Finding a midfield camera and looking directly into it, Messi shook his head and said in Spanish “With this type of rule, we are doing badly.”

ميسي ؟ pic.twitter.com/jPCjKLjGLU — Messi Xtra (@M30Xtra) May 12, 2024

With 10 men on the pitch and Messi essentially rolling his eyes, the Herons got a remedy to their complaints.

Matías Rojas stepped in for Messi on the dead ball, delivering a sensational, curling free kick from nearly 30 yards out.

Messi off the pitch for a free kick? No problem for Matias Rojas! A stunner to pull one back for Miami in Montreal. pic.twitter.com/tqxI2gYiGu — Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 12, 2024

Messi would have to continue standing on the touchline until the 45th minute, when fourth official Michael Venne allowed the No. 10 to make his way back into the match.

If that weren’t enough, Miami ran afoul of another new MLS rule in the game’s final moments. Protecting a narrow lead as stoppage time loomed, Suárez was replaced by Leo Campana. However, the Uruguayan took longer than the maximum of 10 seconds MLS has mandated for players to leave the field.

The league has issued a new rule where, in that situation, the substitute entering play must wait a full minute before coming on. Venne enforced the rule, setting off vociferous protests from Suárez, Campana, and Miami manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino (who at least recovered his composure to drag Suárez away before the situation got worse).

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Lionel Messi has a bone to pick with Major League Soccer.

The Inter Miami star was not pleased Saturday night after he was fouled and was forced to the sideline for two minutes because of a new MLS rule, making him miss his team’s ensuing free kick.

Messi was fouled by Montreal’s George Campbell in the 40th minute, though Campbell did not receive a yellow card.

Because Messi, who was holding his knee, was down for longer than 15 seconds, he was sent off the field for two minutes.

While on the sideline, he looked into a television camera and said in Spanish, “These types of rules … it’s going bad,” according to ESPN.

ميسي ؟ pic.twitter.com/jPCjKLjGLU — Messi Xtra (@M30Xtra) May 12, 2024

MLS announced the new “off-field treatment rule” in December.

“If a player with a suspected injury remains on the ground for more than 15 seconds, the referee will stop play and wave the medical crew onto the field to evaluate the player. When safe, the player will be removed from the field and remain off the field for a minimum of two minutes for further assessment and treatment,” MLS said in a statement at the time.

The goal is to allow “medical staffs time to treat players, while also allowing match play to resume quickly.”

Fouls resulting in a yellow or red card would provide an exception to the rule, but because Campbell wasn’t carded, Messi had to miss time.

Inter Miami trailed 2-0 when Messi was fouled but scored twice before halftime and went on to win, 3-2.

“There are situations that must be revised,” Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino said after the game, per ESPN. “In Leo’s situation, he was clearly fouled. The player deserved a yellow card, which would mean Messi would’ve never left the field for two minutes. As I understand it, the team that suffered the foul was punished. With these new rule changes, there are situations that must be revised. The infraction was clear and was a yellow card, and ultimately it was us that lost Leo for two minutes.”

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