Lionel Messi after Argentina: see his Inter Miami numbers | OneFootball

Lionel Messi said goodbye to the Argentina national team, but not to football. At 39, the No. 10 returned to Inter Miami after the World Cup and racked up nine goals and five assists in ten matches, remaining the team’s biggest star and one of the MLS’s main attractions.

There is an important difference between leaving the national team and leaving football. Lionel Messi made sure to show that quickly. After playing only in the World Cup for Argentina and announcing the end of his international career, the star returned to Inter Miami and kept producing at an absurd level.

In the ten matches recorded since his return, he has played 802 minutes, scored nine goals, and provided five assists. That is 14 direct goal contributions. An average of 1.4 per match. And that came during a period in which Inter Miami did not always keep up with its main player.

Messi is still Messi

The sample is especially impressive because the team’s results have not been perfect. Since his return, Inter Miami has managed only two wins, three losses, and five draws in the ten matches considered. Even so, Messi showed up constantly.

There were two goals and one assist against Atlético San Luis, four goals and one assist in the 7-1 thrashing of Montreal, as well as goals against Toronto, Philadelphia, and Nashville. And the last of those may be the best snapshot of the moment.

Against Nashville, Lionel Messi received the ball from Rodrigo De Paul at the edge of the box and struck it first time with his left foot into the corner. A stunning goal in the 62nd minute. The problem was that Inter Miami conceded the equalizer in stoppage time and had to settle for a 2-2 draw. The result slipped away. Messi, once again, did not.

The farewell that did not diminish the star

On August 31, Lionel Messi announced that he would no longer play for Argentina. The decision brought to an end a 21-year story with the national team, crowned by the 2022 world title and by a second consecutive World Cup final in 2026. The farewell could have signaled a change of pace. It did not.

A few days later, Lionel Messi returned to Inter Miami and maintained his starring role. Against Nashville, he reached 19 goals in the MLS regular season and 99 for the club in all competitions, leaving him one short of 100.

And the Brazilians are close by

Messi’s spell in North American soccer has also gained a strong Brazilian component. Inter Miami currently has Micael Silva, a center back on loan from Palmeiras, Casemiro, signed in July, and Riquelme Fillipi, a 19-year-old winger who also arrived from Palmeiras.

Micael Silva, 25, arrived for the final stretch of the MLS season, while Casemiro quickly earned more playing time. Riquelme Fillipi, 19, is considered a long-term investment and signed through 2029/2030. The three Brazilians share the squad with Lionel Messi.

Time passes. Messi endures

Time passes. Messi, not so much. At 39, Messi no longer needs to prove absolutely anything. But he keeps proving it. Even after stepping away from Argentina, even after a World Cup that marked the end of his international journey, he remains Inter Miami’s standout player.

And the numbers explain why. Nine goals, five assists, and 14 direct goal contributions in ten games since his return. Argentina lost its No. 10. MLS has not. And judging by what Messi is still doing, no one seems to be in a hurry for that to happen.

*André Freixo, special correspondent for Agência RTI Esporte, reporting directly from Portugal

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.