Lionel Messi just keeps doing Lionel Messi things.
On Sunday night he proved the age-old adage that a good defense is the best offense.
The 37-year-old Argentinian super star took advantage of a lapse in awareness by an Atlanta United defender, stealing the ball just outside the penalty box and juking another defender before chipping the goalie for a cheeky score.
The 20th minute tally for Inter Miami, Messi’s first of the 2025 MLS season, evened the score at 1-1.
It was actually a rare appearance for the 2022 World Cup champion. Team manager Javier Mascherano chose to rest Messi for three matches prior to Sunday due to scheduling workload, angering some fans.
“We tried to take away from the overload Messi had, so that it wouldn’t go further than that,” he told reporters Saturday (h/t ESPN). “We tried to handle it in the best way. Luckily, we were able to control it and that it didn’t turn into an injury or much more. Today he’s better and we decided to start giving him minutes. There’s no secret in this.”
Messi’s presence was obviously a boost for Miami, which went on to win the match, 2-1, and ended the night atop the Eastern Conference with 10 points.
