At 39, Lionel Messi continues to deliver performances worthy of the most successful winner of the ‘Ballon d'Or’ in the history of football.

Inter Miami’s 7–1 thrashing of Montreal was not simply another victory in Major League Soccer (MLS). It was yet another stellar display from the Rosario-born star.

With four goals and an assist, the Argentine star shattered various statistical records and proved once again that his talent knows no bounds.

In the running for the free-kick crown

Messi scored his first four-goal haul since moving to the United States, becoming the first player in Inter Miami’s history to score four goals in a single match.

Two of those goals came from one of his greatest specialities: the free-kick. As a result, ‘La Pulga’ has now scored 74 goals from direct free-kicks in his career.

This figure places him second in the all-time free-kick scorers’ table, level with the Brazilian Jair Rosa Pinto (74) and just four goals shy of Marcelinho Carioca’s all-time record (78).

The top 5 free-kick scorers

  1. Marcelinho Carioca – 78

  2. Lionel Messi – 74

  3. Jair Rosa Pinto – 74

  4. Roberto Dinamite – 73

  5. Juninho Pernambucano – 72

His ninth hat-trick and an analysis of his 927 goals

Although it had been more than six years since he last scored four goals in a single match, this performance marked the ninth time in his professional career that he has scored four or more goals.

His overall record includes seven hat-tricks and two matches in which he scored five goals (against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and against Estonia with the Argentina national team).

The overall figures for his career reflect an astonishing goal-scoring rate. In 1,171 matches played, Messi has scored 927 goals, broken down as follows:

  • No goals: 560 matches

  • One goal: 366 matches

  • Two goals: 183 matches

  • Hat-trick (3 goals): 53 matches

  • Four goals: 7 matches

  • Five goals: 2 matches

In total, the Rosario-born player has scored at least three goals in 62 matches and two or more goals in 245 matches.

In other words, in almost one in every five matches of his professional career, Messi has scored at least a brace. Absolutely incredible.

With 18 goals and 10 assists this season, Messi tops the MLS scoring charts and proves that age is just a number when it comes to the enduring legend.