"Making every single player, every single opponent look amateur" - Pundit believes Lionel Messi is the best player to ever play in MLS

Former MLS star Hercules Gomez reckons Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi is the best player to grace the American football league.

The 36-year-old has propelled his side to the top of the MLS Eastern Conference after 11 games. Messi has scored and assisted in his last three games in the competitions, with the Herons winning all of them to take over the summit.

Having arrived in South Florida last summer, the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has made an immediate impact on his new side and is arguably the biggest name ever to grace MLS.

Gomez told ESPN (as per GOAL) that it's undebatable that the Argentinian is the best to play the competition, elaborating:

"He's the best player I've ever seen play Major League Soccer. I don't think it's a secret, I don't think it's debatable. You look at this guy's numbers: he's got 11 goals, nine assists in his last 10 games in all competitions. Nine league goals in the last six games.

"He's played 24 games in Major League Soccer since he signed with Inter Miami. He's got 22 goals, 11 assists. I'm talking primary assists, not the hockey assists that MLS adds to pad the stats. This guy's has been as good as advertised. He's been that player."

He noted that Messi is making every player look pedestrian:

"This is his playground, and he's making every single player, every single opponent look amateur. It's been that good and when he's not been good there's been a reason for it, it's been injury-related. But when he's healthy, when he's fit, when he's on the pitch, he's unstoppable."

The Herons are three points clear of second-placed Cincinnati, who have a game in hand.

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How Lionel Messi has fared in his last three games for Inter Miami?

Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has made a sparkling start to his first full season in American football despite being plagued by injuries.

In 10 games across competitions, he has racked up an impressive tally of 11 goals and six assists. Most of those goal contributions - nine goals and four assists in seven games - have come in the league.

Impressively, the Argentinian has sizzled in his last three games, all in MLS. In the 3-2 win at Kansas City, Messi had a goal and an assist. In his next game - a 3-1 home win over Nashville, he had two goals and an assist.

Lionel Messi would repeat that feat in his next outing - producing two goals and an assist - in a come-from-behind 4-1 win at New England.