Lionel Messi: Javier Mascherano in awe of Inter Miami star after match-winning free kick – ‘Best player ever to play this sport’
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Published 20/06/2025 at 09:31 GMT+1
At 37 years of age, Lionel Messi showed he still has magic in his boots against Porto on Thursday evening, producing a match-winning free-kick to secure a 2-1 comeback victory for Inter Miami in Atlanta. Javier Mascherano's team now need a draw against Palmeiras to qualify for the knockout rounds of the FIFA Club World Cup, and the Argentine believes his side "can do something amazing".
Lionel Messi
Image credit: Getty Images
Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano believes his side "can do something amazing" after Lionel Messi's sublime free-kick landed the decisive blow in Thursday’s comeback win over Porto.
After both teams had started their FIFA Club World Cup campaigns with goalless draws, the Portuguese outfit took the lead in Atlanta after just eight minutes thanks to Samu Aghehowa’s spot-kick.
But the MLS franchise drew level shortly after the interval when Telasco Segovia powered home, and they were able to take the lead just seven minutes later as 37-year-old Messi stepped up to score the 68th direct free-kick of his career.
From a central position on the edge of the box, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner whipped the set-piece over the wall and into the top right corner on the goalkeeper's side, clinching his team’s maiden win in the competition.
Messi’s manager and former team-mate Mascherano perhaps expects this kind of quality from "the best player ever to play this sport", but he continues to be taken aback by his "determination to win".
The former Barcelona and Argentina defender told his post-match press conference: "[Messi] is the player that leads us in the ways we have to compete. His hunger, his resilience, his will to go on competing, at whatever level that may be.
"In football terms, what else can I add? He’s the best player ever to play this sport. But his determination to win is always surprising.
"Even in the last minutes, when everyone is tired, he continued to support the team in any way he could."
Messi’s goal was his 50th for Inter Miami in just 61 games since joining the MLS side in July 2023.
It was his sixth strike in the Club World Cup in seven appearances, taking him to joint-second on the all-time top scorers list, level with Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, and just one behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Three of those strikes came in the final of the competition in 2011, 2013 and 2015, with his Barcelona side lifting the trophy on each occasion.
Despite his touch of magic securing the victory, Messi attributed the win to the "great effort from the whole team".
Speaking at full-time, the Argentine told DAZN: "Not only did we defend, but we managed the ball well. We had a sour taste after the game against Al Ahly. This is a very important victory, and we'll enjoy it.
"It is being seen that we want to compete; we competed against a good team, and here and there, we gave away the first half. The young guys had nerves playing in this competition for the first time."
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Inter Miami’s victory on Thursday marked the first time an MLS side has beaten a European side in an official competition.
It means Mascherano’s team only need a draw in their final game against Palmeiras to qualify for the knockout stages.
The Inter Miami boss believes his side’s performance against the two-time European champions proved they "can compete against anything".
He said: "They did a fantastic show. They were working very, very hard against a team that has a lot of quality, a high level. But today we can show to the world, to ourselves, that we can compete against anything.
"The first-half was very, very good also, but the players understood that they can do it, they can work together. When we are together, we are narrow, when we are next to the team-mates, we can do something amazing.
"It's great for the people from the USA to see our team competing in this kind of tournament."
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