Lionel Messi received the Golden Boot trophy ahead of Inter Miami’s Major League Soccer (MLS) play-off opener against Nashville. The 38-year-old proved why he deserved the award as he recorded two

Messi was named a finalist for the MVP award Thursday along with Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga, San Diego’s Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC), Cincinnati’s Evander and Nashville’s Sam Surridge. The award is expected to be handed out before the MLS Cup final on Dec. 6.

Messi magic in Game One! 💥 What a start for @InterMiamiCF. // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/6ugOORVHGT Miami were able to ride that goal to a halftime lead, which put them 45 minutes closer to defeating Nashville SC in this best-of-three series,

Fresh off winning the MLS Golden Boot and being named a finalist for MLS MVP, Messi opened the scoring for the Herons in the 19th minute with a diving header off a cross from longtime teammate Luis Suárez, showcasing the 38-year-old’s off-ball smarts with deceiving runs into the box.

After raising the MLS Golden Boot trophy, Lionel Messi recorded two goals and one assist to inspire Inter Miami CF to a resounding 3-1 victory over Nashville SC in the first game of the Round 1 playoff series at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale,

Nashville SC faces Inter Miami and Lionel Messi in the first round of the MLS playoffs. Follow live updates from Game 1 at Chase Stadium.

Messi led the league for shots, through balls and big chances created, outperforming his expected goals by more than six. He’s 13 goals over ‘average’ since joining Miami, keeping up the kind of finishing overperformance that has been a through line across his career.

Key speakers: Notable attendees include Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado, soccer superstar Lionel Messi, Argentina President Javier Milei, and President Donald Trump. They will participate in discussions and fireside chats.