When Lionel Messi stood over a free-kick in the final stages of his first game in an Inter Miami shirt, there was only ever going to be one outcome. The Barcelona legend stuck to the script to secure the winner in style on his debut, and has since continued his solid start to life in America.Now making his first start for the club, Messi made things look easy once more, as has been the case throughout the entirety of his career, netting a brace in his full debut while also picking up an assist.From six games without a win before Messi’s arrival, Inter Miami have now won two consecutive games in what is clear evidence of the impact that one of the best players of all time can have on a side.David Beckham will be hoping to see his club reach new heights in MLS following a whole host of new arrivals but for now, he’ll be delighted to see them impressing during the Leagues Cup.
Lionel Messi scores full debut brace
Inter Miami defeated Atlanta United 4-0 in the tournament, and Messi was the star of the show – as you can see in the highlights below. The former Paris Saint-Germain star opened the scoring as early as the eighth minute before finding the second and his brace in the 22nd minute.
Two goals from Robert Taylor then followed in an impressive display from a side who looked down and out prior to Messi’s arrival.
The Argentine’s first goal was one for Barcelona fans, with Sergio Busquets’ ball over the top of Atlanta’s defence allowing Messi the chance to eventually slot home at the second time of asking after his first effort slammed against the right-hand post.
Orchestrating things the second time around, Messi found Taylor out wide, before being handed the opportunity to simply tap home inside the area for his second of the afternoon.
Not done there, the forward returned the favour to Taylor, allowing the winger to find the back of the net with ease.
Though Taylor played a starring role in the Messi show, the fans made it clear who they came to see, leaving in their numbers when the World Cup winner was substituted off in the 78th minute. If ever there was a moment which represented the icon’s popularity, it is that.
What is Lionel Messi’s salary at Inter Miami?
Fighting off interest from elsewhere, it wasn’t just the project that convinced Messi to make the move to Miami this summer, with Beckham paying his new star man a hefty salary.
According to Marca, Messi will earn up to $54m (£41.85m) in his first season at Inter Miami, in what is an eye-watering amount.
Given the eyes that he’ll bring to both the cub and MLS, it could well prove to be a worthwhile number, however.
So far, we’ve seen the likes of Kim Kardashian and Lebron James make appearances in the stands, watching on in awe as Messi does what only Messi does best.
As the spectacle continues, too, things will only get even better for Inter Miami, who have also welcomed Jordi Alba this summer, as they look to take things up to another level in America.
From the foot of the table, Beckham’s club could soon find themselves competing with the best sides that America has to offer.
