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Lionel Messi netted twice in Inter Miami CF's 4-0 Leagues Cup win against Atlanta United on Tuesday (July 25). This means he has now scored against 100 different opponents in club football.
Messi, 36, announced his arrival in Florida with a stoppage-time winner in the Herons' 2-1 win against Cruz Azul in their Leagues Cup opener last week. He started the game on the bench and was only on the pitch for 36 minutes, but significantly impacted his side.
Hence, there were bigger expectations for Lionel Messi's full debut for Inter Miami against Atlanta United on Tuesday. The Argentinian icon put the Florida-based club in front just eight minutes into the game before doubling their lead 14 minutes later. He also provided the assist for Robert Taylor's second goal in the second half.
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British sports analytics company Opta were quick to point out that Messi's brace against Atlanta United saw him reach yet another milestone. The Five Stripes were the 100th different opponent the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has scored against in his senior club career.
Having previously plied his trade at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, the Inter Miami No. 10 has spent his club career in three countries. However, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has impressively netted against teams from 23 different countries during his career.
Furthermore, Messi's brace and Taylor's first goal saw Miami go into half-time with a three-goal for the first time in their history. Taylor went on to bag his second in the second half, meaning the two are the first pair of Herons teammates to score multiple goals in a single match.
Lionel Messi's Inter Miami full debut in numbers
Lionel Messi remained on the pitch for 78 minutes before being replaced by Robbie Robinson. Having netted a brace and provided an assist, the superstar produced a splendid performance on his full debut for Inter Miami. He earned a near-perfect rating of 9.9 on Sofascore.
The Argentinian icon had three shots on target and hit the woodwork once, denying him a hat-trick. He also completed two dribbles with a 100% success rate, had 66 touches of the ball, with only two other players registering more, and conceded possession 12 times.
Lionel Messi completed 46 passes, including three key passes, with 82% accuracy. He won each of the three duels he contested and made one tackle as well.
Inter Miami are one of four clubs to have booked a place in the Leagues Cup knockout stage. Los Angeles FC are the only other Major League Soccer club to have progressed so far.
