Lionel Messi has now been tipped to break one of the biggest records in MLS this season with Inter Miami.
The Argentine international has been sensational in recent weeks having finally gotten over his hamstring injury that kept Messi out for close to a month, with the attacker registering multiple goal contributions across numerous games for Inter Miami.
With seven goals and three assists in just six MLS appearances for Messi this season, there’s a real chance that the reigning Ballon d’Or holder could break numerous records in the coming months with Inter Miami.
And Messi has now been tipped to break one of the biggest of them all.
Messi predicted to beat Carlos Vela’s MLS goal contribution record with Inter Miami
Speaking on MLS’s Extratime podcast, pundit Andrew Wiebe has suggested that Messi has a real shot at beating Carlos Vela’s regular season goal contribution record of 49, something the Inter Miami star could achieve if he stays fit.
Wiebe said: “He’s missing games, he’s missed four already for Inter Miami, he’ll miss more because of Copa America, niggles, and we knock on wood that doesn’t happen because we want to see Messi play.
“But I was thinking ‘how does this compare to Carlos Vela’s pace in 2019’, when Carlos Vela went straight up nuclear with 49 goal contributions.
“To put it in perspective, there’s 24 games left for Inter Miami, Messi could play in 20 in them and manage two goal contributions a game, he would get to 53, barely sneaking past Carlos Vela, but it’s entirely within the realm of possibility that he does that or more.”
Messi has what it takes to blow MLS record out of the water
Messi’s numbers across his entire career speak for himself, with the Argentine shattering essentially every record there is to break when it comes to both scoring goals and registering assists.
And beating Vela’s 49 goal contribution record could be a piece of cake for Messi, who if he can stay fit and isn’t away from Inter Miami for too long this summer could easily best the former Mexican superstar’s tally back in 2019.
Indeed, Messi will want to add another record to his already outrageous list of accolades, and the 36-year-old could do just that if he can stay fit and international duty doesn’t get in the way of playing for Inter Miami.