Lionel Messi Joins Mexican Legend With MLS Record After Orchestrating Inter Miami Win

Messi may not be able to win the 2025 MLS Golden Boot, but he made more history on Saturday night.

Lionel Messi was at the heart of Inter Miami’s win despite not scoring. / Rich Storry/Getty Images

Lionel Messi continues to write his name across the MLS record book with Inter Miami. 

While the 38-year-old Argentine has not scored in the Herons’ last three matches and could miss the club’s final home match of the regular season, he posted three assists in the 4–1 win over the New England Revolution on Saturday night. 

The output brought him to 24 goals and 17 assists this season, and made him the second player in the league’s 30-year history to break the 40-goal-contribution mark, only trailing Mexican legend Carlos Vela, who had 49 with LAFC in 2019. 

His performance also brought him to 100 goal contributions in all competitions with Inter Miami, racking up 66 goals and 34 assists in just 80 appearances.

Messi magic to set up Jordi Alba! 🪄 pic.twitter.com/IDxhW76Alg

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 5, 2025

On a night where Inter Miami honored Sergio Busquets’s outstanding career, it was Messi who took control once again, helping set up Tadeo Allende’s 32nd-minute goal, before dovetailing with Jordi Alba for the Spaniard’s brace, a partnership Busquets has certainly seen plenty of. 

“[Messi] gave us the possibility of opening the score and then securing [the win],” head coach Javier Mascherano said postgame. “Not only with the pass for Jordi, but when [New England] made it 2–1, and in the next play with an assist that only he can give.”

“This is routine for him,” Allende, who scored a brace alongside Alba’s, added. “If he does not punish you all the time with goals, then he punishes you with assists.”

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Golden Boot in Question 

Lionel Messi has not scored in his last three matches. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

As much as the assists bring Messi to goal contribution history, and make him a frontrunner for a second-straight MLS MVP award, his chances in the Golden Boot race could be slipping. 

Currently, Messi leads the standings with 24 goals, but likely only has one game remaining in his regular season campaign. Meanwhile, LAFC’s Denis Bouanga sits on 23 goals, is in great form alongside Son Heung-min, and has four games remaining, including Sunday’s clash against Atlanta United. 

Despite all the success, though, it has been a disappointing year for the Herons, who began the season targeting as much silverware as possible, but have since fallen short of the FIFA Club World Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup, MLS Supporters’ Shield and Leagues Cup. 

It all leaves MLS Cup as the ultimate goal for the club and the final chance for Messi to secure a trophy in 2025, with the Herons hoping to avoid the disappointment of last season’s first-round exit. 

The 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs begin on Oct. 24 for Miami with a best-of-three series, likely against the sixth or seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, after the Philadelphia Union clinched the Supporters’ Shield and the right to face the Eastern Conference Wild Card winner.

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