Lionel Messi had a hand in both goals as he helped Inter Miami beat Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer’s season opener on Wednesday.

Argentina forward Messi played in Robert Taylor for the first, with the midfielder’s first-half shot squeezing under visiting keeper Zac MacMath.

Messi, 36, also had a hand in Miami’s late second goal scored by Diego Gomez. He linked up well with former Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez, who registered an assist on his MLS debut.

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“Messi looked loose, fine and showed a lot of speed,” Miami coach Gerardo Martino said of Messi’s performance. The 2022 World Cup winner missed the back end of last season for David Beckham’s MLS franchise through injury.

Earlier this week, Messi released a video to defend his absence from a friendly in Hong Kong on 5 February after a backlash from Chinese fans.