From Leagues Cup glory to MLS playoff race agony: Grading every Lionel Messi performance from the Inter Miami superstar in the 2023 season

Cometh the moment, cometh the man. Could Messi's debut have ended any other way?

Inter Miami fans had to be patient for that debut, with Messi not named to the starting XI, but it certainly was worth the wait. With the game level and just seconds remaining, Messi stepped up and buried a free-kick, leading Inter Miami to victory and ushering in a new era of American soccer.

It's a moment that will be replayed for years, the moment that Messi truly arrived in this section of the world. It was the dream debut, the dream goal, for Inter Miami's dream player. The first of many, you'd expect, but, when all was said and done, it was a night that will be included in any and every highlight reel going forward. Grade: A+

How could you possibly follow up that debut? Well, this is Messi we're talking about. Of course he took things a step further in Round 2.

Handed his first start in Inter Miami pink, Messi was absolutely dominant in a 4-0 triumph over Atlanta United. He scored the first two, both within the first 22 minutes, before setting up the next two. In the process, he made Robert Taylor look like prime Luis Suarez, with Taylor, in these early days, being the biggest beneficiary of Messi's arrival.

This was a performance that was Messi at his best. He scored his own goals, of course, but he also created more, and not just through his passing but also with the gravity and pull he has on every opposition player on the pitch. Grade: A+

Orlando City did what Atlanta United and Cruz Azul did not: they roughed up Messi a bit. A good strategy, for sure. If you can't beat him, beating him up may be your only hope. Unfortunately for Orlando, it literally didn't matter. Messi torched them anyway.

Despite being fouled hard several times, Messi scored twice in the win, one in either half. His first was a fantastic volley off a lovely cross from Robert Taylor. His second was another volley off a lovely cross from Josef Martinez. Pure Messi, pure brilliance, and another Miami win. With his two goals, Messi now has five goals in three games, a ridiculous stat line even for the GOAT.

Orlando tried something different, and they barely slowed him down. Another game, another victim for Messi, who continued to terrorize all in his path. Grade: A

Messi simply isn't human. Another game, another dazzling free-kick, with this one being a late equalizer to save Inter Miami. With his side down a goal late in his first game away from home since arriving in the U.S., Messi buried a free-kick in the 85th minute to headline a Leagues Cup clash that will go down in history.

This game was wild, even by this continent's insane standards. It began with, of course, a Messi goal, a fantastic finish off of a Jordi Alba cross. From there, total chaos. An own goal on either side, one Messi-made from FC Dallas' Marco Farfan and one from Messi's new BFF Robert Taylor, and several stunning finishes for either side, with both Dallas and Miami seeing their respective Argentine stars go back and forth.

Unfortunately for Dallas, though, it was Miami's Argentinian icon that won the day. With his two goals, he's now this competition's leading scorer. When he stepped up to the spot in the shootout, there was little doubt that Messi would score then either. His team-mates did their job, too, with FC Dallas' Paxton Pomykal the unfortunate one to fail from the spot.

On goes Messi and on goes Inter Miami. The Argentine can't be stopped, and Miami can now start thinking of a trophy at the end of this storybook run. Grade: A

Just when you thought he'd been kept quiet... That was the best way to describe Messi's performance through the first 86 minutes against Charlotte FC: quiet. Well, at least by his standards. The Argentine was as still impactful, serving as a magnet that routinely displaced the Charlotte defense, but with time winding down in a lopsided win, he hadn't found his goal.

This is Messi we're talking about, though. Can anyone in the Leagues Cup keep him quiet for an entire 90 minutes? The answer so far is a resounding no, as Charlotte became the latest team to fall victim to the Argentine. He found his goal in the final moments, making the score 4-0 by smashing home a cross from Leonardo Campana, capping a display that was surely his most tame in Inter Miami pink.

Still, despite it all, Messi made it five consecutive matches with a goal while pushing Inter Miami into the Leagues Cup semifinal. He leads the Golden Boot race now and a betting man would say there's no way he's losing that honor now.

Messi and Miami are moving on as he'll be looking to make it six in six next time out. Grade: B+

Inter Miami are heading to the club's first-ever cup final and, of course, they have Messi to thank. The Argentine scored the second of four goals, beating three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Andre Blake with a dazzling long-range finish. The goal was his ninth since joining the club as this tournament's Golden Boot will become the latest he'll add to his well-stocked trophy case.

Messi was one of several contributors in this win and, compared to the prior matches, this probably was his least influential effort. He was effective, scoring and then nearly getting another in the second half, but Miami found goals from all over the pitch in this one.

Jordi Alba scored one of them, as the ex-Barca team-mates both got their name on the scoresheet, while Josef Martinez set the tone with a third-minute goal to quite the Union crowd. The scoring was capped off late with a goal from David Ruiz, the 19-year-old homegrown midfielder.

Another game with four goals for Miami, who have hit that mark in four of their last five games. Now, only one game stands between Miami and the club's first-ever trophy. Grade: B+

Inter Miami have added the first piece of silverware to their trophy cabinet. Just a few short weeks ago, that seemed almost unfathomable. The worst team in MLS taking down every opponent in their path on their way to a trophy? Come on!

A few short weeks ago, though, they didn't have Lionel Messi. They sure do now.

Messi was, unsurprisingly, the star of the show once again as Miami took down Nashville SC at Geodis Park, scoring a stunning goal to kickstart a match that finished 1-1 through 90 minutes. The goal was quintessential Messi: minimal space, a curling shot and no chance for the opposing goalkeeper.

A scrappy goal kept Nashville in the contest, but, even as the match went to penalties, there was no stopping Messi and co. It was a historically good shootout, too, as all 22 players took turns from the spot. Messi, of course, scored his as Miami's first taker, but it wasn't until Nashville SC goalkeeper Elliot Panicco saw his shot saved by Drake Callendar that Miami could celebrate their trophy.

Messi was once again the key to it all. There were few signature moments in the match, and Callendar will certainly go down as the hero, but Messi has done it again. New team, same result: trophy in hand. Grade: A

Inter Miami were dead and buried. Down a goal with time winding down on their U.S. Open Cup hopes, it looked like the dreams of winning a second trophy in 2023 would come to an end at TQL Stadium. Anyone that was ready to write off Miami did forget one thing, though: they have Lionel Messi.

Messi was the hero yet again, even if he failed to find the back of the net for the first time since arriving in America. While he didn't score a goal of his own, he did set up two of Miami's three, including the all-important last-gasp equalizer.

Having found Leo Campana from a free-kick earlier in the match, Messi made that combination work again as he saved Inter Miami's Open Cup hopes. His looping cross in the 97th minute fell right to the head of Campana, who headed home to miraculously send the match to extra-time.

From there, the chaos continued. Josef Martinez scored early in extra-time, but FC Cincy clawed it back with a goal from Yuya Kubo. From there it went to penalties, with Messi, of course, scoring his. FC Cincinnati blinked first, as Nick Hagglund's shot was saved by Drake Callendar, and Miami somehow battled their way to yet another cup final.

With Messi creating miracle after miracle, can you bet against them? Inter Miami won the club's first trophy just this week, and they won't have to wait too long for their chance at No.2 thanks to their Argentinian star. Grade: B+

It was all set to be a quiet night. Starting on the bench due to fatigue, Messi's MLS debut would seemingly be just a cameo appearance. Miami were up a goal on the road by the time he was introduced in the 60th minute and would surely look to just see the game out.

Well, maybe not. This is Messi, after all. Even his most muted performances end with stunning goals.

Messi combined with youngster Benjamin Cremaschi to put a feather in Inter Miami's win as the two came together to score a Goal of the Week candidate. Jordi Alba made the sequence, to his credit, bicycling in a pass towards Messi, who proceeded to wiggle through the box with defenders all around. His pass to Cremaschi was fantastic, and the teenager's cutback to Messi was even better, leaving the Argentine with a simple tap-in for his first MLS goal.

In just 30 minutes, Messi had 23 touches, but it was that one on the end of Cremaschi's cross that mattered most. It sealed the result for Miami, kickstarting their Mission Impossible-like run towards the playoffs.

They'll need a lot more than just this one win, but it's a heck of a start. Messi and co. have dominated the cups, and now the rest of MLS is officially on notice as Miami look to start their run towards an unlikely postseason spot. Grade:A-

Remember the names Jack Maher and Lukas MacNaughton. Messi sure will. The Inter Miami superstar was frequently frustrated by Nashville's center-back duo and, for the first time since he arrived in MLS, Messi was kept totally silent. So too was Miami, as the Herons dropped crucial points in a 0-0 draw at home.

The result comes at a rough time as the club will soon be decimated by the international break, with several stars, including Messi, of course, set to jet off to their national teams. This match saw Messi looking like a player already suffering from heavy legs, which is understandable given all of the games he's played since arriving on South Beach.

The Argentine has carried Miami on his back since his debut but, against Nashville, he just didn't quite have the strength to lift. From early on, he seemed just a step off, a step slow. Every time he seemingly had that half-yard of space, Nashville was quick enough to close it down, and Messi wasn't quite quick enough to produce the magic he's found so often with the Herons.

Could he have had a goal or assist in this one? Possibly. Should he have? Probably not. It was a fair result, all things considered, as Nashville deserved something for their resolute defensive display. Messi, now, will leave for Argentina with a bad taste in his mouth as his side suffered its first negative result since he joined the club. Grade: C

The stars were out in Los Angeles on Sunday night. Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Ferrell, Selena Gomez, LeBron James, Jason Sudeikis, Tom Holland... all in the building to watch one man. There was even royalty in the house, with none other than Prince Harry in attendance for the show.

And what a show it was. With some of the world's most famous watching on, Messi showed once again why he's the superstar of superstars, the celebrity that even other celebrities can't help but marvel at.

The Argentine led Inter Miami to yet another statement victory, providing just a little bit more hope that maybe, somehow, Inter Miami can pull off this miracle run in MLS. Of Miami's three goals, Messi assisted two of them as he continued to run the show for the Herons no matter who was on the end of it all.

His first assist was to Jordi Alba, his longtime friend and teammate. After receiving a pass from Sergio Busquets, Messi was able to turn and play in Alba, who scored his first MLS goal with ease; a strike scored in Hollywood, but made in La Masia. Barcelona fans will have seen that one before.

Leonardo Campana benefitted from Messi's second assist, which saw the ex-Barca man break through the LAFC defense. With all eyes on Messi, Campana slipped in and Messi found him, of course.

It was a massive win for Miami, who took down the defending 2022 MLS Cup champions with relative ease. This was a huge test and, like nearly all those that came before it, Inter Miami passed with flying colors.

After suffering something of a setback against Nashville SC, Messi got right back to his brilliant best. Miami will have to survive without him for a bit as he heads to Argentina duty, but, whenever he is on the field for this team, Messi continues to create magic moment after magic moment in a way that even Hollywood can't predict. Grade: A

After going a few weeks without their superstar due to international duty and an injury suffered during that Argentina call-up, Miami made short work of Toronto FC in Messi's return. However, they may have lost the man himself in the process.

Messi was forced off in the first half of the victory due to injury, as he joined Jordi Alba as early injury substitutes. It's bad news for Miami, who have a U.S. Open Cup final coming up as well as several key MLS matches on the road towards a potential playoff spot.

The Argentine never quite got going in his 30-ish minutes on the field, although Miami had no issues once he left the game. Facundo Farias and Benjamin Cremaschi each scored, while Robert Taylor provided two more, ensuring Miami would get three vital points on home turf.

All eyes, though, will be on Messi's recovery. Miami won this one without him, but their recent loss to Atlanta showed just how wrong things can go without their superstar. Grade: N/A

After four matches in all competitions without their talismanic superstar, Inter Miami headed into their clash with FC Cincinnati with playoff hopes hanging by a thread. The magic had worn off with the Argentine out of the lineup, and Inter Miami reverted back to the pre-Messi form that put them in this hole to begin with.

The good news was that Messi made his long-awaited return, coming on as a second-half substitute to try and save Inter Miami's season. But this task was beyond even Messi's powers. In the end, it was too much, even for a player that throughout his career has somehow, always, found a way to conjure the impossible.

Messi didn't look quite like the star that had gotten Miami this far, out of the MLS basement and with the faintest of hopes of a playoff run. Instead, we saw a player that is likely still injured trying to make a difference as his club had one last roll of the dice.

He had just two big chances, both free kicks that went nowhere near the target. Messi, throughout his 35 minutes or so on the field, struggled to get his feet under him right up until a goal from Cincy's Alvaro Barreal effectively ended Inter Miami's season.

There will be plenty of time to dissect and decide what that season meant but, on this day, that season crashed down, even with Messi giving his best to ensure that it wouldn't. Grade: C-

In the end, Lionel Messi's first MLS season ended with something of a whimper. It was never really going to end with a bang, as the season finale lacked stakes for a Miami team that had no playoff hopes. However, it was uncharacteristically quiet by Messi's standards.

It was never guaranteed Messi would even play, due to the short rest, injury concerns and turf field, but the Argentine was named to Miami's starting XI for the season finale. In the first half, he was all but silent, amassing just 28 touches with very few of them proving meaningful.

The second half was much better, as Messi nearly grabbed a goal early, only to see it called back for offside. He hit the post, too, nearly bending in and impossible free-kick from the tightest of angles.

It's not the last of Messi we'll see in an Inter Miami shirt in 2023, as the club will tour China before really starting their offseason, but this is Messi's last competitive club fixture of the season and, by his standards, it was one of his quieter showings. Grade: C