Major League Soccer (MLS) is back and all eyes are on Miami as we await Inter Miami's first match of the season in the early hours of Thursday morning. Gerardo Martino's men are set to kick off their 2024 campaign against Real Salt Lake with fans across the US excited about the prospect of watching Lionel Messi play his first full season in the league.
Messi joined David Beckham's franchise in July 2023 and enjoyed a memorable start to life at the club. On his debut, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner scored a free kick in stoppage time to earn his new side a win in the Leagues Cup, a competition he shone in. Messi scored ten goals in seven Leagues Cup appearances last year as Inter Miami won their first-ever trophy.
In the league, Messi's form wasn't as impressive. The former Barcelona and PSG man played six MLS games in 2023 but only found the back of the net once. Inter Miami were already out of playoff contention when Messi joined the club and his arrival failed to significantly improve results. They ended up finishing in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, something they are expected to improve on this year.
With a full season ahead of him, and 3, Messi is expected to lead Inter Miami to MLS glory this season. First of all, though, they need to put out a statement in their opening match against Real Salt Lake on Thursday. Let's take a look at the markets relating to the Argentinian.
Lionel Messi latest odds
Lionel Messi to score anytime against Real Salt Lake – 4/5
Lionel Messi has enjoyed a fairly length break from competitive action which may have done him the world of good considering he is now at the back end of his career. If the break has freshened the Argentinian up then a goal in Inter Miami's season opener against Real Salt Lake is very much on the cards.
Messi has made a habit of scoring in season-openers over the years. In two of the last three seasons (for PSG and Barcelona), he has scored on the opening day of the season and with Inter Miami's squad now stacked with talent around him, you would expect him to get at least a couple of opportunities to get on the scoresheet.
Lionel Messi to score two or more goals – 18/5
Lionel Messi has already made a habit of scoring braces for his new club, but that shouldn't come as a surprise considering he holds the record for the most braces scored in La Liga history with 116. Messi scored three consecutive braces for Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup last year and he is priced at 18/5 (4.60) to do it against Real Salt Lake.
This market would also be covered if Messi nets a hat trick against Real Salt Lake. The 36-year-old has scored 57 hat tricks in his career and already has one for Inter Miami after he scored three goals against Los Angeles last year.
Lionel Messi to have over 1.5 shots on target – 4/6
Since signing for Inter Miami, Lionel Messi has averaged 3.57 shots per match and 1.36 on target. These numbers are down on his career average which could indicate that the over 1.5 shot on target market could be good value for money for Messi against Real Salt Lake.
Messi should have far more shooting opportunities this season as he will be playing alongside Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets – three players who he has a fantastic understanding with. Additionally, he has now had more time to get to understand other players in the squad.
