Lionel Messi continues goal-scoring streak for Inter Miami, nets 8th goal in fifth match

After a glorious career with Barcelona, he joined Paris Saint-Germain, a French football giant, in 2021.

Florida: World Cup-winning Argentina striker Lionel Messi continued his hot streak with Major League Soccer club Inter Miami, scoring in his side’s 4-0 win against Charlotte in their Leagues Cup match on Friday.

This goal is Messi’s eighth goal in five matches for Inter Miami. He has scored in every match for Inter Miami and is yet to lose one with the American club. The club acknowledged Messi’s goal in a tweet.

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“Messi does it again 5 games straight 8 goals Campana to Messi for our fourth #MIAvCLT | 4-0,” tweeted Inter Miami.

With this goal, Messi has reached the top of goal-scorers in the Leagues Cup, with a total of eight goals. He has edged past Minnesota United FC forward Bongokuhle Hlongwane, with who he was tied at seven goals. Inter Miami will play the semifinal of the tournament on Tuesday against Philadelphia Union.

The seven-time Ballon d Or’ winner played for clubs such as Grandoli, Newell’s Old Boys and Barcelona in the early 1990s to early 2000s, Messi made his debut for Barcelona C in 2003, scoring five goals in 10 appearances. After a year-long stint with Barcelona B from 2003-04, in which he scored six goals in 22 matches, Messi made his debut for the senior team of the Catalan giants on November 16, 2003, as a 16-year-old.

In his debut game for Barcelona’s senior side, Messi came on as a substitute in the 75th minute against FC Porto. Ever since he broke into the national team, he took very little time in rising to the status of a talismanic striker.

He went on to play for the Catalan giants for close to two decades, till 2021, making 520 appearances and scoring 474 goals for them. With Barcelona, he won the La Liga, the top domestic football competition in Spain, in 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

He won four UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona in 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11, and 2014-15 seasons. ‘La Pulga’ also lifted 7 Copa Del Rey trophies with Barcelona in 2008-09, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2020-21 seasons.

Among other honours he won with Barcelona are, three FIFA Club World Cups (2009, 2011 and 2015), three UEFA Super Cup titles (2009, 2011 and 2015) and seven Spanish Super Cup titles (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2018). He won an incredible 34 titles with the club — no mean returns by any stretch of the imagination. With Barcelona, he also completed two season trebles — a rare footballing feat of winning three major titles in a single season.

A treble win would generally imply lifting the domestic league trophy, winning a domestic cup competition and a continental-level cup competition. In the context of European football, it generally implies winning the domestic league, the domestic cup title and the prestigious UEFA Champions League, which is the top-most league in the continent.

After a glorious career with Barcelona, he joined Paris Saint-Germain, a French football giant, in 2021.

For PSG, Messi made 58 appearances scoring a total of 22 goals. Also, with the Parisian footballing giants, Messi won two Ligue 1 titles in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. He also won a Trophee des Champions title with the club in 2022.