‘Messi breaking records every three days’

Argentine maestro Lionel Messi made history by scoring a brace in Inter Miami's 2-1 victory over Nashville SC in the Major League Soccer (MLS) – becoming the first player to score two goals in five straight matches in the league's history.

Inter Miami coach and Messi's former teammate Javier Mascherano heaped praises on him and lauded him for his record-breaking run at the club.

"What he [Messi] continues to do is unbelievable - breaking records every three days. He's the flag bearer of this team, our leader, and he sets the standard for how we compete. It's truly a blessing to be part of this stage of his career," Mascherano told the media after the match.

Even at the age of 38, Messi has been turning up in a big way for the MLS side, and has hit a rich vein of goal-scoring form.

Mascherano said that the team is well aware of the need to manage Messi's workload as they don't want to over-extend Messi and risk him getting injured.

"Obviously, we're monitoring the situation daily and having ongoing conversations with him. We'll find the right time to give him a break."

Messi's first goal in the match came from a free-kick, an expertly taken left-footed drive from the edge of the box which evaded the reach of the diving keeper.

This was Messi's 69th free-kick goal and the World Cup winner is now just eight goals away from Marcelinho Carioca, who leads the all-time list with 78 free-kick goals.