Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano is optimistic that Argentine World Cup winner Lionel Messi will extend his stay at the club.

For Messi, who embraced close friend De Paul and Suárez after the winner, the emotional celebration reflected his enduring joy for the game—even at 38.

An Inter Miami team missing the suspended Lionel Messi missed the chance to gain ground on Eastern Conference leaders FC Cincinnati after being held to a 0-0 draw in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

Lionel Messi was left disappointed after he and his Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba were suspended for skipping Major League Soccer’s (MLS) All-Star Game last Wednesday, and Inter Miami co-owner fears the decision may affect their efforts to keep the World Cup winner at the club beyond this year.

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber refused to be drawn on whether the league planned to sanction Lionel Messi after the Inter Miami and Argentina superstar was a late withdrawal from Wednesday's All-Star game.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami team-mate Jordi Alba could face a suspension after withdrawing from Major League Soccer's All-Star game, multiple US media reports said on Wednesday.

Lionel Messi has surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of most non-penalty goals scored, playing 167 fewer games than his archrival.

Messi increased his total goals in MLS games to 18 this season and has contributed on 27 scores.

The 38-year-old Argentine star forward had scored a brace, two goals, in five consecutive matches for Miami, giving him 16 goals on the season as Inter managed four wins and a draw in the run.

Argentine maestro Lionel Messi made history by scoring a brace in Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory over Nashville SC in the Major League Soccer (MLS) – becoming the first player to score two goals in five straight matches in the league’s history.

Four days after he became the first player ever to score multiple goals in four straight MLS matches, Messi delivered his fifth brace in five MLS games.

The 38-year-old Argentine star has scored two goals in each of his last four MLS games to become the first MLS player to score multiple goals in four straight games.

Miami were playing their first MLS game in more than a month. They had advanced past the first phase of the Club World Cup but fell 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 last week.

The scoreline told one story. The atmosphere told another.

The Club World Cup's various problems have been well documented, from empty seats to storm delays, extreme heat to complaints about FIFA's expanded competition being a cash grab at the expense of the players' long-term health.

From Inter Miami's Lionel Messi facing former side Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid meeting Juventus and Chelsea taking on Benfica, here is how the last 16 of the Club World Cup have shaped up:

Two decades later, Messi stands with a staggering 45 trophies and a collection of records that may never be broken.

Inter Miami will face European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 while Palmeiras will have an all-Brazilian encounter with Botofogo.

Veteran playmaker Messi curled home a fine free-kick in a man-of-the-match performance in Atlanta, the winning goal in Miami's 2-1 Group A victory over their Portuguese opponents.

A Lionel Messi trademark free-kick earned Inter Miami a shock 2-1 comeback win against Porto in the Club World Cup on Thursday.