Record-setting Lionel Messi leads Inter Miami opening Leagues Cup win | OneFootball

By Justin Ruderman

Another Inter Miami CF win, another Lionel Messi record.

The Argentine icon became the Leagues Cup all-time leading goalscorer on Wednesday night with 2g/1a to guide the Herons to a thrilling 4-2 victory over Atlético San Luis in their 2026 tournament opener.

The 2023 Leagues Cup champions and 2025 finalists look primed for another deep run in the tournament's fourth edition.

"I think it was a very exhausting match of a lot of ball possession, coming from both teams," said interim head coach Guillermo Hoyos. "This has been a very tough match in a very tough pitch with high humidity and we also felt the heat. But we're very happy because of the result

"I want to congratulate all that manifested during the match and I'm very thankful for the effort that the team made. 
That triumph is very important to us."

Messi masterclass

After conceding early on, Messi wasted no time equalizing for Miami, turning home an exquisite full volley in the 11th minute to level LAFC forward Denis Bouanga in the all-time Leagues Cup goalscoring charts.

"The guys were showing me the first goal he scored and how he made that shot. It was something very complicated," said Hoyos. "Anyone who plays football knows how difficult it is to have that precise and clinical space and timing. And to place that ball that is coming from the left to the right, and shoot it to the right.

"So if we were talking about painting, I will call him Picasso"

Approaching halftime, Messi then added the eventual game-winner, once again combining with fullback Noah Allen before smashing his record 14th Leagues Cup goal into the roof of the net from close range.

He quickly added an assist for Micael from a corner kick in first-half stoppage time to put the game out of reach heading into halftime.

Homegrown hero

If not for Messi's exemplary performance on Wednesday night, Allen would've claimed Man of the Match honors with his standout display at Nu Stadium.

In addition to providing a pair of assists for Messi, the 22-year-old homegrown completed his hat trick of assists by setting up Telasco Segovia for the Herons' second goal on the night.

"I want to congratulate him. He participated very well," said Hoyos. "He got into those spaces in the depth. It's very difficult in terms of time and space because time is a big, big factor in how he released that ball.

"...The first assist was something very, very difficult to do, and this is something also to celebrate."

Miami continue their Leagues Cup campaign when hosting LIGA MX giants CF Monterrey at Nu Stadium on Saturday (8 pm ET | Apple TV).

WATCH: Messi makes Leagues Cup HISTORY as Inter Miami down San Luis