New Delhi: Lionel Messi continued his sensational form for Inter Miami as he scored twice and assisted one to help his side beat New York Red Bulls 5-1 in the Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday. Messi weaved his magic in the second half with two goals inside 15 minutes to wrap up a dominant victory for Inter Miami.
Inter Miami went 1-0 down in the game in the 14th minute after Alexander Hack gave NY Red Bulls the lead early in the first half. However, Messi produced a stunning assist to help Jordi Alba equalise 10 minutes later to inspire an Inter Miami comeback. It was an exceptional assist from the Argentine legend, who laid down a magnificent pass for Alba to finish it off from a wide angle from the left.
After Alba’s opener, Telasco Segovia scored twice in the 27th minute and extra time to help Inter Miami head into the break with a comfortable 3-1 lead. In the second half, Messi bagged a brace with two exceptional goals to take his tally to 18 goals in the MLS this season and wrap up a thunderous 5-1 victory for Inter Miami.
Messi battled past the NY Red Bulls backline and their goalkeeper after getting on the end of a line-clearing pass from his former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets to score his first goal in the game in the 60th minute. The Argentine superstar completed his brace in the 75th minute after capitalising on a cross from Luis Suarez and sending the ball into the back of the net.
Six braces in his last seven games? Messi things. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/licMBu71GU
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 20, 2025
Lionel Messi overtakes Cristiano Ronaldo
With his second-half brace against the NY Red Bulls, his sixth in the last seven matches for Inter Miami, Messi surpassed arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo for the most non-penalty goals by any player in football history. Messi now has 764 non-penalty goals in his career, one more than Ronaldo, who has scored 763 non-penalty goals in his career so far.
However, Ronaldo leads the elite list of players with the most goals in their career, club and international football combined. The Portuguese legend has scored a staggering 938 goals in his career so far, while Messi has 874 goals to his name in all competitions combined in his career.
Ronaldo, who has 99 goals in the last two seasons for Al-Nassr, will be aiming to become the first player to reach the landmark of 1,000 goals in his career after signing a two-year extension with the Saudi Pro League club. Messi (38) and Ronaldo (40), two of the best players of all time, continue to dazzle for their respective teams and wow their fans with their heroics on the pitch despite growing age.