Lionel Messi scored twice in four minutes on his return to action for Inter Miami after missing two months with an ankle injury.
The 37-year-old was in clinical form with two first-half goals to help his side to a 3-1 win over Philadelphia Union in the MLS.
Messi, who had not played since Argentina’s victory over Colombia in the Copa America final in July, admitted he was feeling the pinch following Saturday’s match.
“The truth is that I’m a little tired. The heat and humidity in Miami don’t help much either, but I really wanted to come back, I had been off the field for a long time,” said Messi.
“Little by little I was training with the group, feeling good and that’s why we decided that I would start, and I’m very happy – very happy.”
It took until the 26th minute for Messi to get on the scoresheet as he cancelled out Mikael Uhre’s early opener, slotting home after receiving a pass from Luis Suarez and beating a defender.
Messi combined with another former Barcelona team-mate, Jordi Alba, to give Miami the lead four minutes later as he swept home a left-footed shot, before setting up Suarez in injury-time.
It took his tally to 14 goals in 13 games this season and his manager Tata Martino was not surprised by his star forward’s contribution.
“What he did was probably the most predictable thing that happened tonight. I’m happy that he could play the full 90 minutes and that he felt fine,” said Martino.
Quizzed on why he left Messi and his 37-year-old team-mate Suarez on the pitch for the entire match, Martino added: “They both played the whole game because they were fit enough to finish the game.
“The reality is that it’s very difficult to take off players who are so important because they can appear and make a difference any moment. So, they both felt fine and they played the full 90 minutes.”
Inter Miami are 10 points clear at the top of the Eastern Conference with 19 wins from 28 games.
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Publish date : 2024-09-14 21:29:00
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