MONTREAL ā George Campbell was chasing Lionel Messi down the field, hoping to halt the Argentine superstarās run.
A second later, Campbell found himself tangled up with a teammate. And Messi was smashing a shot into the top-right corner after slicing through a crowd of blue jerseys.
"He changes directions faster than anyone I've seen,ā said Campbell, a CF Montreal centre back. āSometimes you just can't keep up.ā
Messi ā widely regarded as one of the all-time greats ā put on a show Saturday with two stellar goals and an assist to lead Inter Miami past Montreal 4-1 in MLS play.
The 38-year-old scored in the first half with a curling shot into the bottom-left corner.
Then he delivered a highlight-reel goal reminiscent of his FC Barcelona days, giving Miami a 4-1 lead in the 62nd minute and leaving Campbell and his teammates out of answers.
"You see the replay like, you could almost look back in hindsight and say you could do better,ā Campbell said. āBut we need to live in the moment more and just make sure that when we have the opportunity, we need to make sure the ball goes in the stands and not in the back of the net."
Tadeo Allende and Telasco Segovia also scored for Miami (9-3-5) at a raucous Stade Saputo as Messi mania arrived in Montreal.
Prince Owusu replied with his fourth in four games for Montreal (3-13-5). Head coach Marco Donadelās side sits last in the Eastern Conference and has just one home win in 10 outings, a 1-0 victory over New York City FC last Saturday.
The sellout crowd featured plenty of Argentine blue and Inter Miami pink ā one fan even wore a Messi tracksuit and goat mask.
When the eight-time Ballon dāOr winner took a corner kick early on, spectators left their seats and piled into the lower parts of the stands to get a closer look.
And the "Messi! Messi! Messi!" chants were constant, whether Miami trailed or led by three goals, upsetting some Montreal players.
"We all respect them, we all admire Messi. But of course, you don't want your fans chanting his name, especially losing 4-1,ā Montreal midfielder Caden Clark said. āI understand the greatness he has, and I have respect for our fans.
āBut we also don't appreciate that."
Hordes of fans also swarmed a downtown Montreal hotel to catch a glimpse of the global icon after he landed in Montreal on Friday night. Many more lined the streets with signs outside Stade Saputo hours before kickoff to watch Messi step off the team bus.
Clark felt the circus around Messiās arrival was a distraction, while Campbell and Donadel said they expected a noisy evening.
Not only was Messi on the pitch, fellow former Barcelona stars Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba also highlighted a talent-packed starting 11.
āIt's nothing strange. Itās also normal, in front of us there were one or two players, maybe three, who were a great inspiration for many people,ā Donadel said.
Added Campbell: āOne of the most famous people in the world, so we knew that was going to happen."
It was Messiās fourth match on Canadian soil, and second in Montreal. He played his first professional game in Canada on May 11, 2024, when he was held off the scoresheet in a 3-2 Miami win over Montreal.
Messi's performance Saturday was entirely different, even though it got off to a rocky start.
On only his second touch of the night, Messi gifted Owusu a costly giveaway. Owusu immediately blasted a shot past Miami ākeeper Ćscar Ustari from the edge of the box to open the scoring two minutes in.
Miami then equalized in the 33rd minute when Allende scored with a long-range shot after receiving the ball from Messi.
Miamiās superstar then dribbled into the box, cut to his left foot and gave the visiting side a 2-1 lead before halftime.
After Segovia put Miami ahead 3-1, Messi danced through the Montreal defence and buried his second of the night ā and 12th of the season.
"I still enjoy to watch him play,ā said Miami coach Javier Mascherano, a former Messi teammate with Argentina and Barcelona. āAs a coach, for me it's a privilege to coaching him. And when I say coaching him, it's a way to say that I am the coach, because no one can coach Messi."
The score was lopsided, but Miami only outshot Montreal 15-13, including 9-8 on target, while holding 58 per cent of possession.
Montreal had several chances to build on its 1-0 lead in a wide-open, attacking game, but failed to capitalize before Messi took over.
"We had to be much more smart there and mature,ā Donadel said. āIt was not the best way to deal with (being up) 1-0 against Miami.ā
UP NEXT
Montreal: Hosts the Canadian Premier League's Forge FC of Hamilton in the second leg of the Canadian Championship quarterfinal Wednesday.
Miami: Visits the New England Revolution on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
