Messi Scores Four for the First Time in MLS as Inter Miami Crush Montréal 7-1
Lionel Messi scored four goals in a single MLS match for the first time in his career, powering Inter Miami to a 7-1 demolition of CF Montréal on August 29 — a club-record margin of victory.
The 39-year-old restored Miami's lead with a free kick in the 40th minute, shortly after Fabian Herbers had equalised for Montréal in the 37th. Messi struck again in the 52nd minute, completed his hat-trick in the 83rd, and capped the night with a stoppage-time free kick — two dead-ball goals in one game from the man who has made the set piece his personal gallery.
Inter Miami's official match recap described the performance as a "poker," the term for four goals by one player. The MLS official feed recorded at least one of those free kicks as a left-footed shot from a central position outside the box. Either way, the ball hit the net and the stadium erupted. MLSsoccer.com
Messi also added an assist, and the result snapped a five-game winless run across all competitions for Inter Miami. He now tops the MLS scoring charts with 18 goals this season.
The timing matters. Miami have been guided by interim coach Guillermo Hoyos, and a 7-1 scoreline — the club's biggest-ever winning margin — brings breathing room at exactly the moment a struggling side needs it. Hoyos described the performance as a masterclass, telling Reuters: "Words simply fall short." Reuters
There is a subplot worth a second look. Messi's teammate Casemiro, now 34, joined Inter Miami in July after his contract at Manchester United expired. The Brazilian midfielder previously starred for Real Madrid while Messi was across the divide at Barcelona — the two were rivals in Spain's biggest fixture, El Clásico. Now they share a dressing room in South Florida, and Casemiro is providing the steel behind Messi's silk.
For Messi, this match arrives weeks after a summer of a different kind. He captained Argentina to the 2026 World Cup final, where they lost to Spain — a second consecutive World Cup appearance after the triumph in 2022. A four-goal night in Florida will not erase that defeat, but it is a reminder that the left foot has lost none of its accuracy.
What makes this stand out is the age. Messi is 39, in a league not known for being easy on older legs, and he has just produced the kind of statistical line that would be remarkable for a striker in his prime. Four goals, an assist, two free kicks, and a place at the top of the scoring table — all in one night's work.
Elsewhere in MLS, Dejan Joveljic scored twice on his Seattle Sounders debut in a 2-2 draw with the visiting Chicago Fire. Joveljic was acquired from Sporting Kansas City in a $6 million deal, and Seattle have now earned two straight draws after an eight-match losing streak. The Guardian
For Chicago, Maren Haile-Selassie and Robert Lewandowski each contributed a goal and an assist, extending the Fire's MLS unbeaten run to five matches.
