Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi’s standout performance against CF Montréal has earned him Major League Soccer (MLS) Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra honors for Matchday 22.
Leading the dominant 1-4 road victory for Inter Miami over CF Montréal on Saturday was Messi, tallying two goals and an assist. The 2024 Landon Donovan MLS MVP has now recorded at least two goals and one assist in three consecutive league matches, becoming the fourth player in MLS history to accomplish the feat and the first since Thierry Henry in 2012. Messi has recorded nine games with at least three goal contributions since entering the league on August 26, 2023, two more than the next-closest player over the span (Denis Bouanga, seven).
The Argentine maestro first dished out the assist for Tadeo Allende to tie the match against Montréal 1-1 in the 33rd minute.
Shortly after, he secured the comeback for Inter Miami in the 40th minute, capping off a quick play in transition receiving a pass from Luis Suárez before breaking into the right end of the box, dribbling past two defenders and scoring at the far post.
Messi rounded out the win with a fantastic goal in the 62nd minute, concluding a quick counter with an impressive solo effort that saw the Argentine maestro dance past four defenders before striking from inside the box.
Messi is currently tied for third in MLS with 19 goal contributions (12 goals, seven assists) and leads the league in goals per game (0.86).
The honor is Messi’s third this season and ninth MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra award in his career. Messi is the 11th player in league history to have won the award at least nine different times and only the second active one to do so (Josef Martínez, nine).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
