Lionel Messi closed out the Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season, scoring a hat trick to power Inter Miami past Nashville SC 5–2 last Saturday (October 18).

The performance sealed his second consecutive league MVP award and his first-ever Golden Boot.

Messi opened the scoring in the 35th minute with one of his trademark curlers from distance, but Nashville briefly took control with two quick goals before halftime.

The Argentine maestro struck again from the penalty spot in the 63rd minute to tie things up, then watched Baltasar Rodríguez give Miami the lead four minutes later. Messi completed his hat trick in the 81st minute, his 10th multi-goal game of the season, before selflessly setting up Telasco Segovia for Miami’s fifth goal.

He finished the night with three goals, an assist, and four shots on target, wrapping up the regular season with 29 goals and 19 assists, just one goal contribution shy of Carlos Vela’s 2019 MLS record of 49.

The win locked Inter Miami into the third seed in the Eastern Conference, while Nashville settled for sixth. The two sides will face off again next weekend in a best-of-three, first-round playoff series in Miami.

Now in his third MLS season, Messi has tallied 50 league goals and continues to redefine expectations with every match.