Lionel Messi Gives up Hat Trick by Handing Penalty to Inter Miami Teammate

• Lionel Messi had a moment of absolute class during his latest outing with Inter Miami
• The Argentine was poised for a hat-trick but instead gave it to his struggling teammate
• Messi already has five goals for the Floridian MLS franchise since his unveiling in July

Lionel Messi continued to make waves at Inter Miami with a superb goal to add to his tally on August 3.

In his first three games as a player for the MLS side, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored five goals - a stat which can act as a prelude of more to come.

During Inter Miami’s latest game, a 3-1 win against Orlando City, Messi had the chance to grab headlines with a hat-trick but decided to sacrifice the moment for one of his teammates.

In a superb show of class, Messi handed the penalty attempt to forward, Josef Martinez, who has been struggling to get off the mark since the arrival of the Argentine at Inter Miami, per The Mirror.

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The Venezuelan won a penalty for the Floridians at the DRV PNK Stadium and many fans expected the Argentine veteran to step up the plate from 12 yards.

However, the 36-year-old decided to give the penalty to Martinez, who made no mistake from the spot as he claimed all the glory with the goal.

According to Inter Miami’s Twitter page, this was Martinez’s 9th goal in 12 career games as the club’s player, which is quite impressive for the 30-year-old.

In celebration, the Venezuelan showed his appreciation by picking up Messi to thank him for the massive favour.

Inter Miami's 'Messi effect'

Inter Miami were winless in 2023 before the arrival of Messi, as he forewent a fairy tale return to Barcelona to sign with the MLS side.

Since his debut, the David Beckham-owned club has turned a corner and won their last three matches - notably, the Argentine has scored in all of them.

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Jordi Alba’s reunion with Messi

Sports Brief also reported on Jordi Alba’s reunion with Messi and Sergio Busquets as the former Barcelona stars linked up at Inter Miami.

The left-back came off the bench in the 64th minute as a replacement for Noah Allen with the scores at 2-1 and saw off the rest of the game.

Messi went on to score his second and the team's third to make it 3-1, as Alba joined the MLS outfit after 11 years with the Catalan giants.