MLS pundit Bradley Wright-Phillips has said Lionel Messi did something in Inter Miami’s win against Sporting Kansas City that the Argentine rarely does.
The 36-year-old made his first MLS start in well over a month as Messi was again the star of the show for the Herons as the former PSG and FC Barcelona star assisted Diego Gomez and then scored one himself from range in what was to be a 3-2 win for Inter Miami.
With Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes left in sheer awe of Messi’s performance, it was a night to remember for Inter Miami, who returned to the top of the MLS standings with last night’s win in Missouri.
And for Wright-Phillips, the MLS legend was caught off guard by something Messi did for Inter Miami against Sporting Kansas City.
Pundit notes rare Messi trick in Inter Miami win vs Sporting Kansas City
Speaking on Apple TV, Wright-Phillips noted that it’s rare to see Messi fully put his boot through a long-distance shot, with Tim Melia being caught off-guard as the Argentine scored the goal of the night.
Indeed, whilst Messi is arguably the greatest soccer player of all-time, the Inter Miami star is not known for his long-range goals, even if the forward has scored some quite sensational strikes from a distance in his career.
Yet the Argentine has scored even fewer goals by fully putting his boot through the ball, a technique that allowed Messi to dip the ball past Melia and to put Inter Miami ahead against Sporting Kansas City.
Wright-Phillips said: “Messi’s got the ball at his feet, and then out of his feet, it’s already too late. Look at this, it’s not often you see him strike through the ball like that, the man can do everything.”
Messi can exploit MLS sides in a big way this season
Watching Messi’s screamer against Sporting Kansas City, it’s easy to think how easy the Argentine can exploit MLS teams when given so much space in the final third to do what he does best.
The 36-year-old struggled against CF Monterrey midweek as the Mexican giants knew that space for Messi means bad things for them, with the tactic working like a charm against the Inter Miami talisman.
And if MLS teams don’t clock onto this soon, Messi can quickly become even more dangerous than he already is, with Sporting Kansas City struggling to handle the veteran attacker last night.