The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner rarely scores bad goals, so ranking each of his Miami strikes is not an easy task
Lionel Messi-mania has gripped the United States ever since the man himself shocked the world by announcing his decision to sign for Inter Miami. Since then, he's become the bain of MLS goalkeepers, scoring against them for fun.
Messi taking so little time to adapt to his new surroundings is no surprise – he is one of the greatest footballers of all time after all. However, even by his own high standards, the volume of spectacular strikes has been particularly high at the start of his Inter Miami career.
Indeed, it's been hard to keep track of all of Messi's magical moments in a pink shirt so far, particularly with many of them coming during a congested Leagues Cup campaign. Fortunately, GOAL is here to help. Below, we have ranked every single one of Messi's finishes for Inter Miami. And don't worry, we'll be keeping things updated as he continues to wow audiences in the U.S.
11Too easy vs Charlotte FC (August 12, 2023)
We're still not sure what Charlotte were thinking. When you give Messi this much space in the box, you're likely to be punished – and so it proved. He won't get many easier finishes this season.
Advertisement10Stroke of good fortune vs Atlanta United (July 26, 2023)
Messi is rarely imperfect, but even when things don't go exactly to plan he still looks pretty smooth. His first goal in Inter Miami's Leagues Cup clash with Atlanta United demonstrated this.
With less than eight minutes on the clock, Sergio Busquets found his former Barcelona team-mate with a delicious over-the-top pass. Messi's initial finish cannoned back off the post, and he hardly broke stride when he tapped home the rebound with typical composure.
9Simple volley vs Orlando City (August 2, 2023)
Orlando's marking left a lot to be desired when they travelled to the DRV PNK Stadium in the Leagues Cup first round. Having previously opened the scoring for his side, Messi took full advantage of some typically poor defending, volleying home Josef Martinez's scooped pass from close range.
8You don't save those (or do you?) vs Philadelphia Union (August 16, 2023)
We can't quite make our minds up about this one. On the one hand, Messi has done well to find the corner. The distance from which he scored from also suggests it perhaps deserves a higher place on the list. Then again, it wasn't hit with the most venom, which means questions must be asked of Andre Blake – who is a very good goalkeeper, by the way.