“He’s already completed football”, “GOAT for a reason” - Fans in awe as Lionel Messi gives penalty to teammate despite being in MLS Golden Boot race

Fans reacted as Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi offered his penalty to teammate Luis Suarez in an MLS away win on Wednesday (September 24) night as the Herons won 4-0 at New York City FC.

It was one-way traffic at Citi Field after Baltasar Rodriguez put the visitors in front on the cusp of half-time. Messi doubled Miami's advantage 16 minutes from time before completing his brace 12 minutes later to end the game as a contest.

Three minutes earlier, though, Messi had a penalty but asked his former Barcelona teammate Suarez to take it instead, which the Uruguayan converted. Fans acknowledged the Argentine's action despite being in the thick of the Golden Boot race, with both Messi and LAFC's Denis Boaunga netting 22 times apiece.

"He’s already completed football, these are like side missions for him. Plus it shows how selfless he is and how much he cares for his teammates," one tweeted."

Another chimed in:

"He doesn't care about MLS Golden boot. He never cared about personal accolades tbh. It all came because he always tried to win collective accolades. GOAT for a reason 🐐🐐"

Here are some more fan reactions:

A third straight win took Javier Mascherano's side up to third in the standings, with 55 points from 29 games, five behind Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia, who have played two games more.

What happened the last time Lionel Messi took a penalty?

Lionel Messi has been a prolific penalty taker for club and country but won't have happy memories from his last effort from the spot. Less than two weeks earlier, on September 13, the 38-year-old stepped up against Charlotte FC in an MLS away game.

However, the Argentine's Panenka-style 32nd-minute effort was saved by Kristijan Kahlina. It ended a streak of six successive succesful penalties (excluding shootouts) for club and country since missing against Wojciech Szczesny in eventual champions Argentina's 2-0 group-stage win over Poland in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Overall, Messi has scored 113 times out of 145 penalty attempts, giving him a success rate of just under 78%. Three of those successful efforts have come during his ongoing spell with the Herons, whom he joined two summers ago on a free transfer.

While Messi's arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo (33) has missed one more penalty, the Portuguese has been more prolific from the spot, scoring 177 of 210 efforts for a success % of 84.3.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Bhargav