Lionel Messi achieved historic career first during Inter Miami stadium opening

Lionel Messi's sparkling career may be coming to an end, but he is still creating special memories for his adoring fans in Miami.

On Monday, 5 April, the former Barcelona man took centre stage as Inter Miami opened their new stadium with an MLS clash against Austin FC. Although Miami ultimately drew the game, Messi still managed to make history by becoming the club's first goalscorer at their aptly named ‘Nu Stadium'.

“Dreams really can come true”

Messi's goal came in the tenth minute of the match, and although he will now always be the first Inter Miami goalscorer at the Nu Stadium, the accolade of the first-ever goalscorer at the stadium belongs to Austin's Guilherme Biro, who opened the scoring four minutes earlier.

On a personal level, it was also a new ‘first' for the Argentinian magician. Never before has he scored on his first appearance at one of his clubs' home stadiums, and while he won't have been losing any sleep over that stat, it's one that he can now firmly put to bed.

The night was always going to be a special one for Inter Miami, and although they would have loved to have got the victory, the draw, which was ultimately rescued by Luis Suarez later on, wasn't enough to dampen the spirits in South Florida.

Etched in history. 🐐

The first-ever @InterMiamiCF goal at Nu Stadium, courtesy of Leo Messi. pic.twitter.com/Gp5L5Sqytq

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 5, 2026

David Beckham, the club's co-owner, gave a heartfelt speech before kick-off. He said:

“When I came to America and MLS 20 years ago, my dream was to win championships, help raise the game of soccer that I love so much and to build my own team. Thirteen years ago, I announced Miami was my choice. We had no name. We had no fans. We had no stadium. Today, I stand in our new home.

“We are champions of MLS. We have the best player in the history of the game playing in Miami. Dreams really can come true.”

FGG says: The end is near

Lionel Messi's career has seemingly been drawing to a close for a number of years now, but after this summer's World Cup, it would not be a huge shock to see him hang up his boots. As a result, we should be savouring every time he now finds the back of the net, regardless of whether that's for Inter Miami or Argentina.