Lionel Messi Becomes Highest Scorer In Leagues Cup History With His First Goals Since World Cup 2026 Heartbreak

Hyderabad: Lionel Messi continues showcasing his footballing prowess in the Leagues Cup on Wednesday after suffering heartbreak in the recently held FIFA World Cup. The Argentine superstar scored two goals to help Inter Miami carve out a comeback after going behind against Atletico San Luis. The team were trailing at one point, but they bounced back to win the match by 4-2. With the two strikes, he also became the leading goal-scorer in the tournament’s history.

Argentina signed off the FIFA World Cup 2026 as runner-up as they lost to Spain by 1-0 in the summit clash at the New Jersey Stadium.

Messi’s first goals since the FIFA WC final

San Luis took the lead in the initial minutes as David Rodríguez scored in the fourth minute with a header. Messi was quick to respond, scoring in the 11th minute, helping Inter Miami level the scores. He struck again in the 44th minute to help the team take the lead before halftime. Rafa Llorente scored the second goal for San Luis.

Telasco Segovia and defender Micael scored for Inter Miami. Inter Miami now has a streak of eight matches.

Messi becomes highest goal-scorer in Leagues Cup

Messi also made history, becoming the highest goal-scorer in the tournament with 14 goals in the tournament surpassing Denis Bouanga, who has scored 13 goals for Los Angeles FC. Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Cucho Hernández and Tai Baribo have scored seven goals each.

Luis Suarez missed the match

Luis Suarez was unavailable for Inter Miami as he has been handed a six-match Leagues Cup suspension. He was suspended after Inter Miami’s fixture against Seattle in last year's Leagues Cup final. The match ended in a brawl, and the striker was suspended as a result.

The Leagues Cup will be played from August 4 to September 6. The tournament has a revamped format with 36 elite clubs (18 from Major League Soccer and all 18 from Liga MX).