Lionel Messi's best Inter Miami goal: Every strike scored by legendary Argentine since MLS move - ranked

We're still not sure what Charlotte were thinking. When you give Messi this much space in the box, you're likely to be punished - and so it proved. He won't get many easier finishes this season.

Messi is rarely imperfect, but even when things don't go exactly to plan he still looks pretty smooth. His first goal in Inter Miami's Leagues Cup clash with Atlanta United demonstrated this.

With less than eight minutes on the clock, Sergio Busquets found his former Barcelona team-mate with a delicious over-the-top pass. Messi's initial finish cannoned back off the post, and he hardly broke stride when he tapped home the rebound with typical composure.

Orlando's marking left a lot to be desired when they travelled to the DRV PNK Stadium in the Leagues Cup first round. Having previously opened the scoring for his side, Messi took full advantage of some typically poor defending, volleying home Josef Martinez's scooped pass from close range.

We can't quite make our minds up about this one. On the one hand, Messi has done well to find the corner. The distance from which he scored from also suggests it perhaps deserves a higher place on the list. Then again, it wasn't hit with the most venom, which means questions must be asked of Andre Blake - who is a very good goalkeeper, by the way.

Messi started and ended this wonderfully flowing team move. Picking the ball up just inside his own half, he burst through the gaping hole in Atlanta's midfield and fed Robert Taylor down the left wing. Taylor returned the favour moments later, finding Messi in the box who made no mistake with the finish.

Taylor deserves a lot of the credit for his marvellous assist, but Messi still had a lot to do when he saw the Finland international's chip veering into his path. La Pulga watched it all the way, chesting the ball so it sat up perfectly for him to put his laces through it on the volley.

This was precision at its absolute finest. An inch or so either side of where Messi put it and one of the crowd of Atlanta players would have surely blocked his effort. But Inter Miami's talisman operates with razor-sharp accuracy, leaving his opponents with no chance of stopping him.

Messi's footballing IQ has always been unmatched. Against Nashville he reminded us of that fact, anticipating Walker Zimmerman's lunge and skipping past the USMNT star. This provided him with enough space to wrap his foot around the ball and produce a picture-perfect, curling finish.

Moments like this are why Inter Miami did everything to make Messi's transfer a reality this summer. With the Herons trailing 4-3 in a pulsating Leagues Cup tie, they were awarded a free-kick some way out from goal. Messi, though, loves a challenge, and he produced a millimetre-perfect set piece to keep his side's cup dreams alive with just five minutes of normal time remaining.

For years, those who opted for Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate, pointed to the Argentine's otherworldly playmaking abilities as proof of his superiority. These powers haven't waned as he's got older either, as his outrageous pass to set Benjamin Cremaschi free showed.

No one in the stadium that evening had spotted a route through to the teenager, except Messi. He was rewarded for his ingenuity soon after when Cremaschi's cross provided him with the simplest of finishes.

With one swing of his left boot, Messi dispelled any fears that he would be phoning it in during his American adventure. With 94 minutes on the clock, Inter Miami were heading for a draw with Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup. Messi had other ideas, though.

Standing over a last-minute free-kick - which was in a far-from-ideal shooting position - he tickled the ball into the top corner, sparking complete pandemonium in the stands. Just minutes into his American career, he had already produced a moment that will be lionised for generations to come.