Lionel Messi made his presence felt quickly in Inter Miami's MLS season opener, and the 37-year-old came up with a remarkable last-minute assist that has left top mathematicians perplexed.
Inter Miami narrowly escaped Chase Stadium with a 2-2 draw against New York City FC, largely due to Messi's last-minute heroics.
Lionel Messi made history on Saturday, achieving a notable milestone in the first few minutes of the 2025 MLS season, becoming the quickest player to reach 40 goal contributions in league history.
In 2024, he appeared in only 19 matches, netting 20 goals and 16 assists, but his season was significantly impacted by injuries and international commitments.
Despite this, he achieved the feat of becoming the fastest player to reach 25 goal contributions in a single season last year.
Just five minutes into the competition, he received a through pass from Jordi Alba and pulled it back across to set up Tomas Aviles for Inter Miami's first goal of the MLS season.
It was also the 380th time Messi has provided an assist in his career. No other player has managed to achieve 300 assists.
New York staged a strong comeback and managed to hold a 2-1 lead in the final seconds of the game. Despite the presence of top talent, Miami struggled to find their rhythm and seemed lacking in creativity throughout the game.
The major MLS team played most of the match with only 10 players after Toto Aviles was given a red card.
Fortunately for them, Messi has consistently demonstrated his ability to produce unexpected results throughout his career.
As the clock relentlessly ticked towards the 100-minute mark, the 37-year-old player gained possession midway in the New York half and quickly moved forward.
The opposing team's defenders, who have grown up watching clips of Messi's incredible skills, put on a display that resembled a frantic group of sheep.
In the midst of the turmoil and crashing branches, Messi chose the ideal instant to deliver the pass into the trajectory of his new teammate Telasco Segovia.
Segovia completed the task with a precise finish, tying the game at the last moment.
When everyone around him was panicking, Messi remained calm and composed as he carefully selected the perfect angle for his precision pass.
It would take experienced mathematicians several years and an entire truckload of protractors to achieve a comparable outcome.
"He's like a child at play, and he doesn't want to lose," said Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano after the game.
“Having him on our team is a huge advantage for us. We need to maintain his enthusiasm and spirit, not just for what he does on the field, but also for the impact he has on his teammates and everything he contributes with his 37 years of experience.”
“So it’s magnificent.”
Messi's brilliance helped Inter Miami recover from two major individual mistakes to earn a result, which is exactly why he was chosen as the club's captain at the beginning of the season.
Genius has been a weekly occurrence for nearly two decades now. It's a pity if it were to ever come to an end.
By Michael Lee