There is no stopping Lionel Messi. Nearly a month after playing for the last time in national colours, the former Argentina captain once displayed his skills on the pitch with an assist and a goal, even at 39, to lift Inter Miami to the second spot in the MLS 2026 Eastern Conference standings with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory of New England Revolution.
After a barren first half, Daniel Gazdag took passes from defenders Ilay Feingold and Peyton Miller in the 53rd minute to find the back of the net with a right-footed shot past Dayne St. Clair to give New England Revolution the lead with his second goal in 11 appearances this season.
Inter Miami didn’t have to wait for long. Messi and Telasco Segovia set up German Berterame for the equaliser to leve the score in the 69th minute. It was the first goal contribution for Messi in three matches. Berterame has 10 goals and 10 assists in his first MLS season.
The moment of magic came in the 83rd minute when Messi came through with the winner, scoring his league-leading 26th goal with another assist from Segovia – his career-high 12th in his second full season. Messi is tied for the second most assists this season with 16.
Watch how Messi landed the winner
Messi was the primary architect of his own matchwinner. He picked up a loose ball about 30 yards from the goal. The Inter Miami captain dribbled past a few New England defenders before pushing the ball forward. Segovia played the most crucial part. The Venezuelan footballer provided a critical touch to keep the play alive, shielding another defender.
He then played the ball back onto his captain’s left foot, whose left-footed shot goes past New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner into the bottom left corner. It was Messi’s 937th career goal, 38 goals still shy of Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo’s 985 career goals.
The victory also ensured Inter Miami seal a spot in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup. Had Inter Miami lost or played out a draw against New England Revolution, then they had to wait till Decision Day on November 7 to get into North America’s top club competition.
What did Inter Miami manager say?
Inter Miami manager Cristian González was in all praise for his captain. “I have no doubt that he’s the best of all,” González said after the game. None of them can compare to him when it comes to respect for his colleagues. Leo at his age and what he does, from my point of view, deserves the MVP and also the Ballon d’Or. I hope he can achieve it.”
“It makes me very happy for the players and for the club, we are on the side of contributing things. We are at a club that is in continuous growth, I have players committed to us. We needed to win and we challenged ourselves on what kind of team we wanted to be,” added González.