‘Words simply fall short’: Inter Miami interim coach marvels at Lionel Messi’s 4-goal masterclass
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Lionel Messi tops the Major League Soccer scoring charts with 18 goals this season.
PHOTO: AFP
MIAMI – Inter Miami interim coach Guillermo Hoyos ran out of superlatives for Lionel Messi after the Argentine playmaker scored four goals in a Major League Soccer (MLS) match for the first time in his career to inspire a 7-1 thrashing of CF Montreal on Aug 29.
Messi’s four-goal haul and an assist came at a crucial time for Miami, helping them snap a five-game winless run across all competitions.
Teammate Casemiro opened the scoring in the 20th minute before Montreal’s Fabian Herbers levelled things 17 minutes later.
The 39-year-old Messi restored Miami’s advantage shortly before half-time, struck again in the 52nd minute, completed his hat-trick in the 83rd and capped his dazzling display with a free kick in stoppage time.
The former Barcelona forward now tops the MLS scoring charts with 18 goals this season.
“There are no words to describe such footballing beauty,” Argentine Hoyos said. “So much is going on that words simply fall short,” he added.
“He is constantly looking for that goal, that play, that pass; I don’t think he's an ordinary footballer. Analysing him, both as a player and as a person, goes so deep that you run out of words.”
Messi, who won the 2022 World Cup, also captained Argentina to the 2026 World Cup final, where they lost to Spain.
“That’s what it means to have Messi on the team,” Casemiro told Apple TV. “We have to enjoy these moments because he is a person, a player who makes history.”
Casemiro, 34, joined Miami in July after his contract with Manchester United expired.
The Brazilian and Messi spent years on opposite sides of one of football’s fiercest rivalries, with Casemiro starring for Real Madrid and Messi for Barcelona, but are now teammates.
“We saw today that we have to enjoy it, keep supporting and keep competing with him because he continues to be the best,” Casemiro said.
“He proved it in the World Cup. We have to enjoy it because, with him, we are so much stronger.” REUTERS
