Lionel Messi made a statement during the return leg against Inter Miami by scoring two goals in four minutes for his MLS side.
Messi took to the field for the first time since suffering an ankle injury during the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia in July.
The Argentine brought the South Beach fans to their feet, quickly scoring twice to put Miami ahead of the Philadelphia Union.
His first goal came in the 26th minute with the Herons trailing 1-0. Jordi Alba dribbled the ball through the middle before connecting with Luis Suarez. The former Barcelona trio completed the play after Suarez played a perfect one-touch pass around a Union defender.
The ball landed at Messi’s feet, who tapped the ball into space, made his defender spin and fired the ball into the bottom left corner.
Lionel Messi scored two goals in four minutes in his first game for Inter Miami in three months
Less than four minutes later, Alba and Messi scored again to break the 1-1 score.
The Spanish full-back found himself free on the corner of the penalty area before he played a grass-cutting pass in. After the ball had passed Suarez, Messi beat the opposition with his magical left foot and sent the ball into the far corner for his first goal.
Messi has scored 12 goals and provided 13 assists in 11 games for Inter Miami this season.
The Argentine’s final MLS match was a high-scoring one as the Herons drew 3-3 in a thrilling match against Saint Louis.
Messi missed 13 games with the Herons due to an ankle injury he sustained against Argentina
Messi’s first-half brace puts him in a three-way tie for fourth in MLS goals with FC Dallas’ Petar Musa and Philadelphia’s Daniel Gazdag. Despite missing 13 games for the Herons, Messi is third in assists behind Portland’s Evander.
Miami sits comfortably atop the league at 28-19 with 62 points. In the Easter Conference, Cincinnati is ten points behind Messi and Co.
Meanwhile, LA Galaxy also has 52 points (28-15) and is therefore leading the Western Conference.