Lionel Messi pulls off ultimate disrespect skill move in MLS opener

All of Inter Miami’s star players lined up as they began their MLS campaign with a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake.

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba each started in Fort Lauderdale, but it was two lesser-known names who settled the game.

Robert Taylor opened the scoring in the first half before Diego Gomez wrapped up the game in the second half.

Messi’s moment of magic

Despite not scoring, Messi unsurprisingly managed to produce the most memorable moment of the match.

In a clip that gone viral on social media, Messi, in an Inter counter-attack, jinks inside and onto his favoured left foot before deftly lifting the ball over an injured player and getting a shot away.

The shot was blocked but the brilliance that preceded it was a reminder of the immense quality the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner still possesses.

Tata Martino, Inter’s manager who also managed Messi for Barcelona and the Argentina national team, praised his team’s star player after the match.

“I saw [Messi] playing free on the field and with the same fine touch he always had,” Martino said. “And he showed some speed too.

“He has a characteristic that no other player has. He grabs the ball very far from the rival goal and the feeling he gives is that he will generate something and will end in a goal situation.

“The play he had alone against two players at the end of the game is a sign that he is good physically and also happy to be on the pitch.”