Lionel Messi's arrival at Inter Miami has been one of the stories of the summer and his move to the United States has attracted some of the biggest stars in North America.
The likes of LeBron James, Serena Williams, DJ and Sunday brunch enthusiast DJ Khaled and Kim Kardashian have all attended Heron games since the World Cup winner's arrival. Baseball icon Derek Jeter added his name to that list for the Leagues Cup clash with Orlando City and was treated to another masterclass from the Barcelona legend.
Messi had scored three times in his first two games for David Beckham's club and added another brace on Thursday as Miami sealed their progression to the last 16 of the cup competition.
Josef Martinez netted a penalty and Cesar Araujo brought Orlando back into the game with an equaliser, and while tempers flared with the Argentine even picking up a yellow card early on, it was the Messi show once again at DRV PNK Stadium.
Messi's peak years are way behind him but the forward has been spritely enough to form a devastating partnership with fellow attackers Robert Taylor and Josef Martinez.
Is it 'MSN' level? No, most certainly not. But their chemistry has led Inter to three wins on the trot in the Leagues Cup, their best run of form all season.
And of course, there's the running 'GOAT' discourse, which you would have thought Messi had ended with his 2022 World Cup triumph. It certainly won't be decided by Messi's time at Inter or Cristiano Ronaldo's efforts at Al Nassr, but that doesn't mean there isn't clout to earn on social media with the aid of pictures of gigantic wrestler turned actor John Cena.
Messi is no stranger to a feisty derby, having participated in 45 versions of El Clasico while at Barca. The rivalry between Miami and Orlando isn't quite as established as the historic battle between Spanish giants, but that didn't stop Messi getting riled up and aggravated for his new American side.
The 36-year-old was spotted getting heated with Orlando players. Visiting manager Oscar Pareja was angry with the officiating, claiming Inter shouldn't have been awarded a penalty and that Messi should have been dismissed.
He quipped: "Tonight was a circus. There was a second yellow on Messi. I don't care if he's Messi."
That second yellow never came and Orlando fans were upset.
You don't have to look that far online to find accusations of officiating being rigged in favour of Inter Miami since Messi arrived. It could be that which is behind Inter's recent turnaround, but it's more likely the quality of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is just proving too much for defences like Orlando, Atlanta United and Cruz Azul.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Twitter reacts to Lionel Messi's latest Inter Miami masterclass vs Orlando City.
