Lionel Messi's record $20.45 million annual salary from Inter Miami makes him by far the best paid player in Major League Soccer but also puts him ahead of the entire squads of 25 of the league's clubs, according to data released by the MLS Players Association on Thursday.
Inter Miami's five-match winning run came to an end on Wednesday as, without the injured Lionel Messi, they were held to a 0-0 draw at Orlando City.
Messi briefly left the field for attention after a heavy challenge and while the Argentine was on the sidelines, his team won a free-kick in the area -- where the World Cup winner can be so deadly.
Messi's five assists, which all came in the second half, are a new record for an MLS game and he now has 10 goals and 12 assists in eight league appearances so far this season.
Without Messi, Miami had fallen to a 4-0 defeat to the Red Bulls in New York in March, but they more than avenged that loss with their merciless second half demolition job.
A crowd over 65,612 turned up at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the stadium the Revolution share with the NFL's New England Patriots, to see the Argentine World Cup winner.
Everything Miami was creating was coming through Messi, who flashed a snapshot wide before moments later whipping in a cross for a Gomez header which was saved by Panicco's feet.
The crowd was more than 20,000 larger than the 52,424 that saw the then-Kansas City Wizards defeat Manchester United 2-1 at Arrowhead in an exhibition match in July 2010.
“To me, Leo is the greatest player of all time, I did not mean to offend anyone, I just gave an honest opinion,” Ortiz said
“The dwarf was possessed, he had the face of the devil,” Sánchez said referring to Messi.
The Argentine had been out of action for almost a month with a hamstring injury, missing the last four games, but was named among the substitutes for the home game.
Having sat out for almost a month due to a hamstring injury, superstar Lionel Messi could return to action when Inter Miami host Colorado Rapids in the Major League Soccer (MLS) at Fort Lauderdale on Saturday.
Inter Miami, without Lionel Messi, lost 2-1 at home to Mexico's Monterrey in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-final on Wednesday with Argentine Jorge Rodriguez scoring a superb 89th-minute winner.
Luis Suarez bagged his fifth goal of the season as Inter Miami were held to a 1-1 draw against New York City FC in Major League Soccer on Saturday.
Lionel Messi said that he would have retired from international football if Argentina had not won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The New England Revolution are on track to break a 22-year-old attendance record when Lionel Messi and Inter Miami visit on April 27.
Miami, missing the injured Lionel Messi, were torn apart at New York's Red Bull Arena as former Inter player Lewis Morgan scored a superb hat-trick.
Suarez continued his prolific start to life in MLS with his sixth goal in seven games in all competitions for the South Florida club.
Messi set up Suarez for the eighth-minute opener and then the Argentine found the target himself in the 23rd minute.