Lionel Messi breaks ex-Arsenal star Carlos Vela’s MLS record in final match before heading to Copa America

Lionel Messi became the fastest player in MLS history to score 25 goals in a single season.

It’s been almost a year since the Argentine World Cup winner left Europe after two decades of huge success and signed for Inter Miami.

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Despite his success in the League Cup, Messi got off to a slow start in the league last season, but he has taken it to another level this season.

MLS revealed that Messi has scored 12 goals and assisted 13 others in 12 appearances this campaign, the fastest time to reach such a collective total.

It’s a record that former Arsenal star Carlos Vela held since 2019 when he was at LAFC, but it took him 16 games to reach 25 contributions.

Messi’s feat comes after scoring Inter Miami’s opening goal in a 3-3 draw against St Louis City on Saturday night.

It’s a result that still puts them at the top of the MLS Eastern Conference with 35 points, but FC Cincinnati will overtake them if they win both of their games in hand.

However, Messi’s attention will now turn to Argentina and their Copa America campaign this summer, which begins on June 21.

The 15-time winners and defending champions, a joint record, face Peru in the tournament’s opening match in Atlanta, Georgia.

Argentina also faces Chile and Canada in their other Group A matches as they aim for first place to advance to the quarter-finals.

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If they succeed, they will face the finalists from Group B which includes Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela and Jamaica.

Messi, who has 180 caps for Argentina, has scored 13 goals and assisted 17 others in 34 Copa America matches.

Nine of his contributions came during their 2021 triumph and the 36-year-old will be hoping to make it back-to-back tournament victories in the coming weeks.

A victory would also give Argentina a second major trophy in 18 months following their World Cup success in December 2022.