Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have made history in Major League Soccer (MLS), putting together the best regular season ever recorded. In their final game, a dominant 6-2 victory over the New England Revolution, Messi delivered a stunning second-half performance with three goals and an assist, securing his first hat trick for the club. Luis Suárez also contributed with two first-half goals, as Inter Miami finished the 2024 regular season with a league-record 74 points, breaking the previous mark set by the Revolution in 2021.

Inter Miami’s record-breaking season saw them post an outstanding 22-4-8 record, with a .765 winning percentage, surpassing previous records held by teams like DC United and the LA Galaxy. Messi’s contributions were crucial, as he finished the season with 20 goals and 16 assists in just 19 matches, despite missing significant time due to injury and national team duties. Suárez matched Messi with 20 goals in his debut MLS season.

The game saw Miami erase an early 2-0 deficit, with Suárez’s brace bringing them level by halftime. Benja Cremaschi then scored the go-ahead goal in the 58th minute with an assist from Messi, who had only just subbed into the match. Messi later scored twice more to secure the win and the record.

Despite already clinching the Supporters’ Shield and the No. 1 seed in the MLS Cup playoffs, Messi’s presence helped Miami chase the all-time points and winning percentage records. A brief scare occurred in the 74th minute when Messi appeared to be in pain after a foul, but he recovered and continued to play, scoring two more goals to complete his hat trick.

With this historic regular season behind them, Inter Miami will now head into the playoffs, starting with Game 1 of a best-of-three first-round series at home on Friday night, marking the team’s first-ever home playoff match.