LIONEL MESSI lit up the Club World Cup with a majestic winner that fans reckon should earn him a NINTH Ballon d’Or.
The iconic attacker conjured incredible curl to flash home a free-kick as Inter Miami stunned Portuguese giants Porto with a 2-1 comeback victory.
ReutersLionel Messi made it look amazingly easy as he whipped in the winner[/caption]
GettyMessi wheeled away in delight after completing a comeback[/caption]
David Beckham‘s team went wild after 37-year-old Messi‘s deadball detonation left viewers claiming the Argentine was as good as ever.
One fan raved: “He is incredible! Messi is from another planet! Give him the ballon d’Or!”.
Another wrote: “The curl on that! What a goal from the greatest ever.”
And a third posted: “You don’t leave the legend with a foul like that to score the goal.”
If anything, Messi’s strike looked even better when seen on the innovative Ref Cam.
It showed the ex-Barcelona hero making his magic look easy as,,with barely any backlift, he whipped the ball home from a central position just outside the penalty area ‘D’.
Miami had roared back after Samu Aghehowa’s early penalty opener for Porto in front of 31,783 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
And in fact that spot-kick was a soft decision, following a VAR intervention when Noah Allen was spotted making slight contact on Joao Mario.
Club World Cup 2025 Guide
SOME of the world’s biggest clubs are heading Stateside for a MAMMOTH Club World Cup.
Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Man City, and Inter Miami are among the 32 teams taking part in the tournament, which runs from June 14 to July 13.
Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembele, Cole Palmer and Harry Kane will be showing their skills to packed crowds across the US.
Los Blancos are favourites to lift the trophy in New York but will face stiff competition from around the globe.
Watch EVERY match of the Club World Cup 2025 on DAZN
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ReutersMessi showed perfect technique with his 54th-minute clincher[/caption]
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Venezuela midfielder Telasco Segovia thumped Miami level just 96 seconds into the second half.
And Messi – the night’s star performer for so much more than his goal – completed the turnaround seven minutes later with his vintage swerver.
Porto did pour forward late on, with Aghehowa blazing high.
But Becks’ MLS club now share top place in Group A with Palmeiras, both on four points from two games.
Samu Aghehowa slotted an early penalty opener for Porto
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