Lionel Messi has added another individual honour after winning MLS Goal of the Matchday for his stoppage-time free kick against CF Montréal. The Inter Miami captain dominated the fan vote with 86.5 percent, finishing well ahead of Cavan Sullivan on 6.4 percent, Carles Gil on 4 percent and Kelvin Yeboah on 3.1 percent.

The award recognised the final goal of Messi’s extraordinary performance in Inter Miami’s 7–1 victory over Montréal. With the match already decided, Messi stepped over a free kick in the sixth minute of stoppage time and curled the ball beyond goalkeeper Thomas Gillier to complete his first four-goal match in MLS.

Messi opened the scoring in the 40th minute after Montréal had taken an early lead. His free kick took a deflection before finding the net, but the Argentine produced a more spectacular finish for his second goal, weaving through several defenders before completing the move with his right foot in the 52nd minute.

He completed his hat-trick in the 83rd minute by lifting the ball over the advancing goalkeeper. Messi then turned creator, assisting Luis Suárez for Miami’s fourth goal before adding his second free kick of the night in stoppage time.

The performance ended Inter Miami’s five-match winless run across all competitions and produced the biggest victory in the club’s history. It also moved Messi to 18 MLS goals for the season and restored him to the top of the league’s scoring charts.

The award was another recognition of Messi’s influence since joining Inter Miami. MLS had already named him Player of the Matchday for the same performance, his third such honour of the 2026 regular season and the 15th of his career.

The result also underlined his value to Miami during a difficult period. The team had struggled for consistency before the Montréal match, but Messi’s four goals and assist transformed a tense contest into a record-breaking victory.

At 39, Messi remains capable of deciding matches through a combination of technique, movement and set-piece quality. His latest free kick was not simply the final goal of a seven-goal win; it was another reminder that he can still produce moments of extraordinary precision when a match demands them.