After missing the entirely of the March international break due to injury, it wasn’t clear whether Lionel Messi would be fit enough for a place in the starting XI for Inter Miami on Saturday evening.

The Argentine was suffering from an adductor injury after playing 90 minutes on the artificial turf at Atlanta United’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but was able to return to training earlier this week. He was named on the bench for the visit of Philadelphia Union on Saturday but still provided the decisive goal in a 2-1 win.

Messi came off the bench after 55 minutes, with Miami 1-0 up against the Union. Two minutes later, the ball was in the back of the net and Messi was being swamped in celebration by his teammates.

With Miami defending in their own half, Luis Suárez spun away from a challenge and found Fafà Picault on the left, who brought the ball forward and slid the ball across to Messi on the right of the box. The Argentina squared up Ian Glavinovich, glided past him, and slotted the ball past Andre Blake and into the bottom corner.

That goal gave Miami the two-goal lead that they had desired and it provided decisive when Daniel Gazdag scored with 15 minutes remaining. Miami were able to see out the win in front of a home crowd and reiterate their status as MLS Cup favourites.

Inter Miami have been noticeably cautious with Messi’s minutes at the start of the 2025 season, conscious of the postseason drop-off that the team suffered last year. The schedule is complicated further this year with the introduction of the FIFA Club World Cup in June, where Miami will be one of two MLS representatives.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s game, Herons head coach Javier Mascherano admitted that he was looking to protect his captain ahead of a busy season: “Leo is a unique player in that sometimes he needs to be held back to avoid unnecessary risks. But he also knows his body well. The reality is that he has been easing back into training.”