Lionel Messi’s genius with a ball at his feet shows no sign of letting up after he left two opposition defenders bamboozled with a trademark piece of skill.
The Argentine icon lived up to his billing once again as he notched the final goal in Inter Miami’s 4-0 demolition of Charlotte FC in the Leagues Cup. The 36-year-old was a driving force for the Herons as they booked their place in the semi-finals of the competition, leading by example once more.
With a staggering eight strikes to his name in just five appearances in the cup competition, his goals have grabbed the headlines. However, one subtle piece of ingenuity versus Charlotte also caught the eye of supporters, as he left two players for dead with some deft footwork.
In a viral clip that circled on social media, Messi is shown sidestepping one opposition star, with the flailing having been left chasing shadows as the superstar made light work of avoiding his lunge. Although the diminutive winger was not exactly moving at breakneck speed, it appeared that both opposition players were stupefied by his quick-thinking.
From there, the two men collided with each other in comic book fashion, before the World Cup winner rushed towards the centre-circle to spray a 20 yard pass to a teammate. Although it was typical blink-and-miss-it moment from the megastar, it was yet another sign of the effect he can have on opposition players.
Responding to the video, Twitter users took to the comments section to express their admiration, with one person saying: “Could you imagine prime Messi in this league?”. Another joked: “I hope they make a speedy recovery.”
The former Barcelona hero’s performances have been nothing short of talismanic since he first pulled on Vice City’s pale pink jersey. After christening his arrival at DRV PNK Stadium with a dramatic last-minute free-kick winner versus Cruz Azul on his debut, he has continued to come up with the goods.
In his next three games, he notched a brace each time to drag the team through to the latter stages of the Leagues Cup. After opening the scoring, he produced another clutch goal for the Herons just five minutes from time versus Dallas FC in the Round of 16.
This strike made the score to 4-4 and meant that the game went to penalties, giving the Floridan franchise the chance to extend their run in the competition. Messi duly delivered in the shootout as well, dispatching of his own spot kick as Vice City made the last eight.
It is worth noting that the team had struggled significantly prior to his arrival, with their position at the root of the Eastern Conference standings in MLS telling its own story. Messi is yet to make his league debut for his new employers and curiously could win his first piece of silverware for his new club before even appearing in MLS.
