Lionel Messi has made quite the entrance into Major League Soccer, even before stepping onto the field for a match. Apple TV is riding a wave of excitement during a Hollywood strike. Fort Lauderdale has welcomed its newest Publix enthusiast. And every MLS stadium from Dallas to Charlotte is gearing up for an economic boost that even Taylor Swift would envy.
Messi’s arrival was like the perfect storm in the expanded Leagues Cup. Alongside Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, the trio brought a touch of South Florida style in their pink polos and transformed a struggling Inter Miami team into champions of the midseason Liga MX and MLS tournament.
The magic began with Messi’s debut, where he came on as a substitute and delivered a 94th-minute winner against Cruz Azul in Inter Miami’s opening group-stage match on July 22. It culminated in a thrilling penalty shootout victory in the cup final against Nashville. The team with the fewest points in the MLS this season lifted the trophy, largely thanks to their new leading scorer in 2023. Messi found the net in every Leagues Cup match, tallying an impressive 10 goals in seven games. This immediately set the bar high for individual and team expectations after his move from Paris Saint-Germain.
Read More: Messi Magic: Inter Miami Clinches Leagues Cup Trophy
But that’s not all. Messi also played a pivotal role in Miami’s US Open Cup semi-final win over FC Cincinnati, providing two exquisite crosses for Leonardo Campana to head home during regular time. He then calmly slotted his penalty in the ensuing shootout.
And now, in his MLS debut, Messi added the icing on the cake by scoring a second-half goal as Inter Miami secured a 2-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls last Saturday.
Last month, D.C. United manager Wayne Rooney suggested that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner wouldn’t find it easy in MLS. While it’s important to note that Messi isn’t the sole change in the Miami lineup this summer, his remarkable record of 11 goals in nine games, along with a trophy to his name, certainly suggests that he’s making it look rather effortless.
Last month, D.C. United manager Wayne Rooney suggested that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner wouldn’t find it easy in MLS. While it’s important to note that Messi isn’t the sole change in the Miami lineup this summer, his remarkable record of 11 goals in nine games, along with a trophy to his name, certainly suggests that he’s making it look rather effortless.
Lionel Messi’s introduction to the North American version of the sport he’s mastered throughout his adult life was truly sensational. The prologue has now given way to the official narrative. If this trend persists, here are the records to keep an eye on, from Messi’s first MLS game onward as he embarks on his first full campaign in 2024.
Lionel Messi Could Break the Record for the Quickest 10 Goals in MLS History
While Lionel Messi wasted no time in notching his initial 10 goals in an Inter Miami jersey, it’s worth noting that these goals don’t factor into this particular record, as they were all scored during the Leagues Cup.
Nevertheless, with his goal on his MLS debut, Messi is undeniably well-positioned to reach the milestone of 10 MLS goals faster than anyone else.
To secure the undisputed record for the quickest path to 10 MLS goals, Messi must achieve this feat within nine games. Achieving it in 10 matches would put him on par with the likes of Carlos Ruiz and Mamadou Diallo.
To claim the title of the fastest player to reach five goals in MLS, Lionel Messi faces a formidable challenge, given that both his current Inter Miami teammate, Josef Martínez, and Carlos Ruiz achieved this milestone within just three league games.
If we break it down with some basic math, it becomes clear that to secure this record outright, Messi would need to set off at an exceptionally rapid pace. To reach five goals, he’d have to net a hat-trick in at least one of his first two games. Should he manage this remarkable feat in his league debut, he would etch his name in the league’s history as the first player to score a hat-trick in their inaugural appearance. It’s noteworthy that twenty-one players have previously scored a brace on their MLS debuts, with the most recent example being Nathan Fogaça for the Portland Timbers in May 2022.
The Highest Number of MLS Hat-Tricks in a Career
While Lionel Messi has yet to achieve a hat-trick for Inter Miami, he’s six hat-tricks away from matching the current MLS record held by Martínez. Interestingly, Martínez has the opportunity to extend this record while sharing the field with Messi.
Four other players have achieved five hat-tricks in the regular MLS season, and if you count the playoffs, Stern John’s total rises to six, achieved in just 65 MLS matches. Impressive, to say the least.
Messi didn’t secure a hat-trick during his time with PSG, and his most recent club hat-trick dates back more than three years. However, he boasts an impressive tally of 57 career hat-tricks, with 48 at the club level and 36 in La Liga matches. If Messi continues to play for three seasons and Inter Miami assembles a strong team around him, this record certainly appears within reach.
The Longest Uninterrupted Scoring Streak in MLS History (and Other Noteworthy Goalscoring Runs)
As we progress through this list, it becomes evident that Josef Martínez left an indelible mark with Atlanta United. Once again, his name appears, this time for his remarkable achievement of scoring in 15 consecutive MLS matches during the 2019 season.
Lionel Messi has initiated his quest for this record, but its continuation will extend into the next season. Nonetheless, as he progresses, he has the opportunity to establish a new league record for the most consecutive games with a goal at the start of an MLS career. Currently, Brian Fernández holds that distinction as the only player to score in his first five games, achieved with the Portland Timbers in May and June of 2019.
As we delve into this record, it’s also fascinating to explore Messi’s personal best-scoring streaks in all club competitions. His most remarkable run across all competitions with Barcelona occurred during the winter of 2012-13 when he netted an impressive 16 goals in 10 games. Additionally, he had two streaks of nine matches and one of eight. Remarkably, during that eight-game streak in February and March of 2012, he scored a remarkable 18 goals.
It’s worth noting that when considering all competitions, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that Messi once scored in 21 consecutive La Liga matches during the 2012-13 season. This leads to an intriguing question: which of these streaks would you prefer to witness – 18 goals over eight games in all competitions or 33 goals over 21 league matches?
Indeed, that astonishing streak extended from early November to early May, a duration of time more akin to a manager’s tenure at a club than an individual player’s scoring streak.
The Highest Number of Goals Scored in a Single MLS Season (and Other Notable Single-Season Achievements)
The MLS single-season scoring record, set at 34 goals by Carlos Vela for LAFC in 2019, remains beyond Lionel Messi’s reach, considering his season debut in August. Notably, Vela achieved this remarkable feat in just 31 regular-season matches. Messi has a maximum of 12 league matches left in the 2023 season.
However, it’s never too early to ponder future possibilities. If Messi were to reach 30 goals in the following season (2024), he would join an elite group of four players, including Vela, Martínez, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who have accomplished this impressive milestone.
Achieving the record for goals in a debut season in MLS is also beyond Messi’s grasp. Roy Lassiter’s remarkable 27 goals for the Tampa Bay Mutiny during MLS’ inaugural 1996 season remain the highest tally by a player in their first year in the league. Lassiter accomplished this feat in 30 matches and then added six more goals in five postseason games.
Messi’s most promising opportunity for a single-season goals record in 2023 might be winning the Golden Boot. This might sound unlikely given his current one league goal in 23 matches with his team this season. However, if he were to play in all 12 remaining matches and somehow surpass the current top scorer, Hany Mukhtar (who has 13 goals for Nashville so far), as well as the other 11 MLS players with at least 10 league goals, he would set a record for the fewest games needed to become the league’s top scorer.
For context, Diego Rossi scored the most goals in the league with 14 in 19 games during the shortened 2020 season. Jaime Moreno was the league’s top scorer with 16 goals in 20 games in 1997, although he didn’t technically win the Golden Boot because, until 2004, the Golden Boot included assists in its criteria. If you’re looking for a record without any qualifiers, Landon Donovan scored 20 goals in 25 games in 2008. Messi would need to achieve this in fewer than half the games to set a new standard.
The Highest Number of Goals from Direct Free-Kicks in MLS History
Two of Messi’s goals in the Leagues Cup were scored from free-kicks, raising his club total to 54 across all competitions in Spain, France, and now the United States. Let’s delve into Messi’s potential mastery of dead-ball situations in MLS.
This also presents a potential record to aim for in Lionel Messi’s entire MLS career. MLS free-kick records have been tracked since 2003, and Sebastian Giovinco leads the way with 13 free-kick goals for Toronto FC.
Now, let’s consider a realistic number of free-kick goals in a season to project Messi’s potential over two or three seasons. Giovinco achieved his record over three seasons, with six of those goals occurring during the 2017 regular season.
Looking back to the time when Messi’s current team owner, David Beckham, arrived in America, only three players managed to score at least four regular-season free-kicks in a single season. Giovinco also scored five in 2015, Lucas Zelarayán achieved five in 2021, and Beckham reached four in 2012.
In Messi’s European career, his highest single-season tally was eight free-kick goals in 50 games during the 2018-19 season across all competitions with Barcelona. He scored six of those in La Liga matches, a feat he also accomplished in the 2017-18 season. He managed to convert at least four free-kicks in four different La Liga seasons. So, while joining the list mentioned above is feasible for Messi, it’s likely to take at least three seasons to do so.
Setting the Record for the Quickest 10 Assists in MLS History
While Lionel Messi is often associated with goalscoring records, there’s more to the conversation than just his ability to find the net. Achievable assist numbers also come into play. For those who have followed MLS since its early days and fans of ’90s football globally, this brings back memories of the unforgettable Carlos Valderrama.
The Colombian playmaker set an MLS record with 26 assists in 2000 while playing for Tampa Bay. In his debut season, it took him 15 games to reach his first 10 assists, which, while impressive, doesn’t quite match the record pace for the fastest to 10 assists. That title goes to Andy Williams, who accomplished it in just 12 games for the Columbus Crew in 1999. Kaku matched this record for the New York Red Bulls in 2018.
Messi has already registered one assist in his seven Leagues Cup matches and added two more in the US Open Cup semi-final. Additionally, he’s coming off a season at Paris Saint-Germain where he provided 16 assists in 32 Ligue 1 matches, with ten of those coming in his first 12 matches of the season.
So, what does all of this mean for Inter Miami’s chances of adding to their Leagues Cup trophy and potentially making a late push for the Eastern Conference playoffs at DRV PNK Stadium? Well, it would require an unprecedented turnaround (but then again, that’s kind of already happening).
Excluding the expanded playoff field in the 2020 season, there hasn’t been a single team since 2000, which marks the post-shootout era in MLS, that has managed to secure a playoff spot with 22 or fewer points after 22 games into a season. This condition has been met by 48 previous teams, and every one of them fell short. Currently, Miami sits at 21 points after 23 games. Achieving a playoff berth might require Lionel Messi setting a record or two to defy this historical trend.
