Since losing 5-3 to Chicago Fire at the start of October, Inter Miami and Lionel Messi have been in incredible form.
After ending Major League Soccer’s regular season with big wins over New England, Atlanta United and Nashville, Miami began their playoff journey by comprehensively seeing off Nashville in a three-game series, before thrashing Cincinnati 4-0 in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
In their last seven games, Miami have scored 25 goals. Of those 25 goals, 20 of them (80%) have either been scored or assisted by Messi, who has played the full 90 minutes in all of his MLS appearances since August.
A further two have been pre-assisted by Messi, meaning he played the penultimate pass leading to the goal. This is key because sports statisticians in the USA count pre-assists as a goal contribution, whereas most other countries do not.
Lionel Messi’s phenomenal MLS form for Inter Miami
| Date | Result | Mins | Goals | Assists | Pre-assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 5 | Inter Miami 4-1 New England | 90 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Oct 12 | Inter Miami 4-0 Atlanta United | 90 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct 18 | Nashville 2-5 Inter Miami | 90 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct 25 | Inter Miami 3-1 Nashville | 90 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 1 | Nashville 2-1 Inter Miami | 90 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 9 | Inter Miami 4-0 Nashville | 90 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Nov 23 | Cincinnati 0-4 Inter Miami | 90 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Total: | 630 | 11 | 9 | 2 | |
Lionel Messi breaks MLS post-season record
Lionel Messi’s goal and hat-trick of assists in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Cincinnati saw him break the MLS record for most goal contributions in a single post-season campaign.
Messi now has 12 goal contributions in four playoff matches — six goals, four assists and two pre-assists.
He also potentially has two more games in which to further enhance and future-proof his record.
Javier Mascherano hails “incredible” Lionel Messi
Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano, formerly a teammate of Messi for both Argentina and Barcelona, has described working with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as a “privilege”.
Speaking after the 4-0 win over Cincinnati, Mascherano said of Messi: “Weekend after weekend, he is incredible. We know how incredible he is with a ball, but he’s the first man to do the pressing, directing the team.”
He added: “It’s a privilege to coach Leo. He’s leading the team in defence, pressing high, so when the team-mates see Leo in this way, it’s impossible not to follow him. It’s unbelievable.”
Lionel Messi has scored six goals, made four assists and two pre-assists in his first four games of the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs
Can anyone stop Inter Miami from winning the 2025 MLS Cup?
Inter Miami are the favourites to win the 2025 MLS Cup, which is unsurprising given the stunning form of their leader.
However, Miami are far from a sure thing based on the betting odds, with San Diego and Vancouver Whitecaps also seen as genuine contenders.
San Diego won the Western Conference ahead of Vancouver on goal difference, after both finished the regular season on 63 points. They will contest the West Conference final next week, shortly after Miami host New York City in the Eastern finale.
New York finished fifth in the Eastern Conference with 56 points — nine fewer than Miami, who came third.
While the bookmakers view Miami as favourites, their odds suggest they are slightly more likely to fall short than go all the way.
However, if Lionel Messi stays fit and firing, it is hard to imagine backing against him and his team.
Who will win 2025 MLS Cup? Implied probabilities based on betting odds
| Team | Odds | Implied probability |
|---|---|---|
| Inter Miami | 6/4 | 40.0% |
| San Diego | 9/4 | 30.8% |
| Vancouver | 5/2 | 28.6% |
| New York City | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Lionel Messi looking to add new title to personal trophy cabinet
Lionel Messi — who has yet to officially confirm if he will play at the 2026 World Cup in North America — has won 14 different team trophies during his senior career.
- La Liga x10
- Copa del Rey x7
- Supercopa de Espana x8
- UEFA Champions League x4
- UEFA Super Cup x3
- FIFA Club World Cup x3
- Ligue 1 x2
- Trophee des Champions x1
- Supporters’ Shield x1
- Leagues Cup x1
- Olympic gold x1
- World Cup x1
- Copa America x2
- Finalissima x1
That list does not yet include the MLS Cup, although he led Inter Miami to the 2024 Supporters’ Shield — the trophy awarded to the team with the best record during the MLS regular season.
If Miami are able to clear the two remaining hurdles and lift the biggest title in US soccer, it would add yet another milestone to Messi’s extraordinary late-career renaissance — and perhaps cement this period as one of the most dominant endings to a football career the sport has ever seen.
Speaking of which, Messi’s long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo is also spearheading a title bid deep into the twilight years of his career.
Al-Nassr — powered on by record-breaker Ronaldo’s goals — have made a perfect start to their latest domestic campaign and could yet break the Saudi Pro League points record.
Should Messi and Ronaldo — who now have a combined age of 78 — lift the MLS Cup and the Saudi Pro League respectively, then between them the remarkable rivals will have won football’s biggest prizes in seven different nations.
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