Lionel Messi returns to the field and does what he does best

Lionel Messi is back. After shedding tears at the end of the World Cup final lost by his beloved Argentina, he stepped back onto the field and immediately made a decisive impact. La Pulga scored a spectacular brace that led his team to a decisive 4-2 comeback victory over Atlético de San Luis in the first match of the 2026 Leagues Cup.

Lionel Messi’s first goal was pure magic, as explained by Guillermo Hoyos, Inter Miami’s head coach: “Anyone who has played soccer knows what it takes to find the time and space to strike the ball—cutting in from the left to the right to meet a cross and volleying it with his left foot. If we were to compare it to a painting, it would be a Picasso.”

“If Messi plays on the counterattack, he’s the best; if you sit back in defense and give him too much time to control the ball, he’s still the best,” said San Luis coach Diego Mejía, as reported by ESPN.

The two-goal performance made Messi the all-time leading scorer in League Cup history with 14 goals—one more than LAFC’s Denis Bouanga—since the expanded competition began in 2023. In short, Lionel Messi picked up right where he left off.