Lionel Messi at Inter Miami: Goals, assists, results & fixtures in 2023

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 12 Nov 2023 08:20 GMT
• 13 min read

Lionel Messi has arrived in MLS, sparking huge excitement about how the World Cup winner will fare in a new league.

Despite links with former club Barcelona and speculation about a possible move to Saudi Arabia, Messi’s new team is Inter Miami, who have Manchester United and Real Madrid great David Beckham as a co-owner.

While being unable to win the Champions League across his two seasons with Paris Saint-Germain will be a regret – and Messi also found himself suspended by the club prior to his exit being confirmed for an unsanctioned trip – he has proven he still has plenty to offer despite turning 36 in June.

MORE: ‘Leo has changed everything’ – Beckham hails Messi's Inter Miami revolution

Messi showed in his second season with PSG that he still capable of deciding matches at the highest level, as he also proved beyond doubt in leading Argentina to World Cup glory in December.

And Messi has already proven that he will remain a dominant figure in the United States with a blistering start to his career in Florida.

This page will be regularly updated to showcase Messi’s individual club statistics for Inter Miami throughout the season.

MORE: European Assists King 2022/23: Lionel Messi shares award before transfer

Lionel Messi: 2023 stats

Appearances: 15

Starts: 12

Goals: 11

Assists: 5

Messi: Matches played

It didn't take him long to make his mark with Inter Miami. On debut, Messi grabbed a late winner against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup as David Beckham's franchise won 1-0. He had only come onto the field to replace Benjamin Cremaschi 10 minutes into the second half.

Messi's explosive start to life in the US only continued in his following match against Atlanta United. The Argentine went a long way to put the game to bed in 22 minutes as he scored twice in what proved a 4-0 win. A first assist for the club followed in the second half, and he was withdrawn with 12 minutes remaining.

The goals kept coming in the last 32 of the Leagues Cup, with Messi incredibly making it five in three appearances thanks to a double against Orlando City. On both occasions, he made late runs into the box that went unchecked by his opponents and was picked out to finish from close range.

In the last 16 of the Leagues Cup, Messi added a third brace in as many starts for his new club. He opened the scoring in a remarkable 4-4 draw with FC Dallas then helped send the match to penalty kicks thanks to a fine free-kick four minutes from time, just as it seemed his side were down and out. And, of course, he opened the penalty shootout by scoring.

Leo once again handed over penalty duties to Josef Martinez in the quarter-final to allow the Venezuelan to open the scoring against Charlotte FC. But that did not preclude him from extending his incredible run, as he struck late to make it 4-0 and score in his fifth consecutive match for Inter as they romped into the last four.

Messi does it again 🔥🔥
5 games straight✅
8 goals✅

Campana to Messi for our fourth 👏#MIAvCLT | 4-0 pic.twitter.com/l7amAxwzrB

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 12, 2023

The Argentine's scoring streak continued in the semi-finals as Inter Miami recorded a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Union. Messi bagged his side's second after 20 minutes as Tata Martino's side booked a date with Nashville SC on 19 August.

Messi led Inter to Leagues Cup glory, scoring a stunning opener in that fixture. Fabrice Picault scored in reply, but the Miami side won out on 10-9 penalties as he won his first trophy after just seven appearances.

He was back at it the following midweek in the US Open Cup. The encounter with Cincinnati was the first he failed to score in, but his contribution was still profound as he produced two assists as the Storks came from two down to force extra-time. The teams shared a goal each in that additional period and Messi scored his penalty in the shootout as Inter Miami squeezed through.

Messi's MLS debut had been slated to take place against Charlotte on 20 August but that game was postponed due to the clubs' continued participation in the Leagues Cup, making the visit to New York Red Bulls on 26 August his bow in the competition. He came on for the final half hour and bagged the second goal in a 2-0 win.

Next up was a home encounter with Nashville, in which Inter Miami stretched their undefeated run to 11 games under the Argentine, but it finished without a goal.

There was success for Beckham's franchise in their next encounter as they maintained their undefeated streak. They overcame LAFC 3-1 in the City of Angels, with Jordi Alba among the scorers from a Messi pass - one of two assists he managed.

Messi subsequently missed international duty with Argentina with an unspecified knock, and missed Inter's 3-2 win over Sporting KC, with Leonardo Campana coming to the fore in that game with a brace.

His absence was sorely felt in the following meeting with Atlanta United, though. Messi scored two and assisted another as they beat them 4-0 in the Leagues Cup in July, but back in MLS, and without the Argentine, the 2018 champions won 5-2.

Although he returned for a 4-0 win over Toronto, the victory proved bittersweet as both he and Jordi Alba limped out of the match in the first half when the match was still scoreless.

Messi would go on to miss the next five matches for Inter Miami as they were eliminated from the MLS play-offs and knocked out of the US Open Cup, failing to win any of these fixtures, which included a thumping 4-1 loss to Chicago Fire.

Messi returned to action while on international duty and starred for Argentina, with Miami continuing to struggle, losing to Cincinnati and drawing with Charlotte.

Messi was back in action for Miami on October 21 away at Charlotte but could not improve results as his team lost 1-0.

After a brief break in which the Argentina World Cup winner picked up his record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or, Messi was back in action for a friendly with New York City to commemorate the win. His side lost 2-1, though, with Messi unable to impact the game.

Inter Miami fixtures

Cruz Azul 1-2 Inter Miami, July 21 – Leagues Cup

Minutes Played: 35

Goals: 1

Assists: 0

Inter Miami 4-0 Atlanta United, July 25 - Leagues Cup

Minutes Played: 78

Goals: 2

Assists: 1

Inter Miami 3-1 Orlando City, August 2 - Leagues Cup

Minutes Played: 90

Goals: 2

Assists: 0

FC Dallas 4-4 Inter Miami (3-5 on penalties), August 6 – Leagues Cup

Minutes Played: 90

Goals: 2

Assists: 0

Inter Miami 4-0 Charlotte FC, August 11 – Leagues Cup

Minutes Played: 90

Goals: 1

Assists: 0

Philadelphia Union 1-4 Inter Miami, August 15 – Leagues Cup

Minutes Played: 90

Goals: 1

Assists: 0

Nashville SC 1-1 Inter Miami, August 19 – Leagues Cup

Minutes Played: 90

Goals: 1

Assists: 0

Cincinnati 3-3 Inter Miami (4-5 pens), August 23 – U.S. Open Cup

Minutes Played: 120

Goals: 0

Assists: 2

New York Red Bulls 0-2 Inter Miami, August 26 – MLS

Minutes Played: 30

Goals: 1

Assists: 0

Inter Miami 0-0 Nashville, August 30 – MLS

Minutes Played: 90

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

LAFC 1-3 Inter Miami, September 3 – MLS

Minutes Played: 90

Goals: 0

Assists: 2

Inter Miami 3-2 Sporting KC, September 9 – MLS

Minutes Played: 0

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Atlanta United 5-2 Inter Miami, September 16 - MLS

Minutes Played: 0

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Inter Miami 4-0 Toronto, September 20 – MLS

Minutes Played: 39

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Orlando City 1-1 Inter Miami, September 24 – MLS

Minutes Played: 0

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Inter Miami 1-2 Houston Dynamo, September 27 – US Open Cup

Minutes Played: 0

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Inter Miami 1-1 New York City, September 30 – MLS

Minutes Played: 0

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Chicago 4-1 Inter Miami, October 4 – MLS

Minutes Played: 0

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Inter Miami 0-1 Cincinnati, October 7 – MLS

Minutes Played: 0

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Inter Miami 2-2 Charlotte, October 18 – MLS

Minutes Played: 0

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Charlotte 1-0 Inter Miami, October 21 – MLS

Minutes Played: 90

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Inter Miami 1-2 New York City, November 11 – friendly

Minutes Played: 90

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

The MLS playoffs are scheduled to run from October 25 until December 9.

Lionel Messi 2022-23 stats

Lionel Messi at PSG: Goals, assists, results & fixtures in 2022-23

Messi’s second season with PSG was more impressive than his first.

It is a campaign that will mainly be remembered for Messi leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar at international level, culminating in a thrilling final victory against previous winners France.

But it was also a productive club season for the attacker, who still had impressive numbers at the age of 35.

Messi scored 21 goals and added 20 assists for PSG in the 41 matches that he played across all competitions.

In Ligue 1 specifically, he had 16 goals and 16 assists in 32 appearances, averaging exactly one goal involvement for every game played.

No player in Europe’s top-five leagues bettered his total of 16 top-flight assists and it ended up as his best creative season since 2019/20, when he racked up 20 goals created for Barcelona in La Liga.

Messi won Ligue 1 for the second time in as many years and he also scored as Trophée des Champions glory was secured with a thumping win over Nantes in July.

That teed up a flying start to the league season that saw Messi produce seven assists in seven Ligue 1 games.

Among his best league performances, Messi netted once and set up two goals for KylIan Mbappe in a 3-0 away win over Ajaccio on October 21, with the pair showing some incredible link-up play. He then scored once and got another assist in a dramatic 4-3 win over Troyes next time out.

Messi scored in five straight Ligue 1 matches between February 1 and March 4, though his first appearance of the season – a 5-0 win for PSG at Clermont – was the only time he scored more than once in a league game across the campaign.

He created two goals for Mbappe, as well as scoring himself, in a key Ligue 1 win against rivals Marseille on February 26, as his side recorded a 3-0 victory.

But there was no Champions League glory once more for PSG, who suffered a disappointing 3-0 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich in the first knockout round, with Messi playing in both legs.

PSG had finished second in a group that also contained Benfica, Juventus and Maccabi Haifa, with Messi racking up four goals and four assists in the competition.

The Coupe de France also ended in disappointment, with Marseille beating PSG 2-1 in the last 16.

Lionel Messi 2021-22 stats

Lionel Messi at PSG: Goals, assists, results & fixtures in 2021-22

It was a mixed first season at PSG for Messi, who produced some magical moments and won the league but still fell short of his ultimate aims.

Messi made 34 appearances for the French champions in all competitions, 32 of which were starts. He only scored 11 goals across those games, though he did add an impressive 14 assists.

In Ligue 1 specifically, Messi scored just eight times from 26 outings.

Messi made his PSG debut as a second-half substitute against Reims on August 29, 2021, and it was a quiet beginning as his new team eased to a 2-0 win.

The forward was then handed his first PSG start in the Champions League trip to Brugge on September 15, his side suffering frustration in a disappointing 1-1 draw where he did not score.

Messi struggled in his opening weeks as a PSG player and it took almost a month after his debut for him to score his first goal.

The star finally came to life on the biggest of stages when he played a vital role in beating Manchester City and his former coach Pep Guardiola in the Champions League, with a remarkable strike in a 2-0 victory.

It took until November 20 for Messi to finally claim his all-important first goal in Ligue 1 for PSG with a tremendous strike late on in a 3-1 home victory over Nantes.

The biggest disappointment of the season for Messi and his team-mates arrived on March 9 as they were eliminated from the Champions League.

Despite being 2-0 up on aggregate after Mbappe's second goal in the last-16 tie against Real Madrid, PSG crumbled in the last half-hour to lose 3-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.

Messi was subsequently booed throughout his next game as PSG fans took out their frustration of this exit on both the Argentine and Neymar. They won the game 3-0 against Bordeaux.

PSG claimed the Ligue 1 title after a 1-1 draw versus Lens on April 23, and it was a goal from Messi that ultimately clinched the championship.

It was one of the goals of the season, too, with a long-range strike being whipped high into the top left corner, but PSG fans would have hoped to have seen many more of those moments.

Lionel Messi 2020-21 stats

What proved to be Messi’s final season at Barcelona ended with him winning one trophy, the Copa del Rey.

Messi scored twice in a 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the final, but it was Atletico Madrid and his former team-mate Luis Suarez who triumphed over Real Madrid and Barca in La Liga.

In the Champions League, Messi’s future employers PSG ended Barca’s hopes in the last-16 stage with a 5-2 aggregate victory.

The Argentina forward scored in both legs, including a stunning goal in Paris, but also missed a penalty in that second leg. Kylian Mbappe netted a famous hat-trick in the Camp Nou game.

Individually, Messi topped the scoring charts in Spain with 30 goals and struck 38 times from 47 appearances in total across all competitions.

That was seven more goals than he had managed in 2019/20, though still short of the peak numbers he had previously produced at Camp Nou.