Lionel Messi had a ‘magnificent’ free-kick blocked on the line by a defender as Inter Miami opened the MLS season with a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake.

The Argentine’s effort from 25 yards was destined for the top corner but defender Justen Glad was on hand to bop it away.

Miami opened their MLS account in style as goals from Robert Taylor and Diego Gomez sealed the victory.

However Messi was thwarted and a collective ‘ooh’ rose from the crowd as their favourite player was denied a first goal of the season.

It would have been reminiscent of his free-kick goal on his debut, when he fired a 94th-minute winner from a similar distance to gain a 2-1 win over Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.

Lionel Messi had a free-kick blocked on the line by a defender in Inter Miami’s 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake

It almost went in. pic.twitter.com/nhrZGZu2Nn

— Father Of Chickens (@caesar_mayor) February 22, 2024

‘This is magnificent,’ said one user on X, formerly Twitter.

‘So they are playing like in Fifa… good strategy to be fair to put 3 GK to defend a Messi free-kick,’ said another.

‘2 defenders on the line for Messi, not even European clubs did that,’ wrote another.

‘Defending like that against the goat [greatest of all time] is crazy,’ one said.

It was true – Real Salt Lake had a defender on either post flanking the goalkeeper, Zac Macmath.

This was only Inter Miami’s second win in 16 games stretching back to last season and including friendlies.

The Herons endured a nightmare pre-season and Messi had to sit some of it out with injury issues.

Two Argentina friendlies were even cancelled in China after Messi sat out a match against a Hong Kong league XI.

But Messi played the full game against Real Salt Lake as Tata Martino’s side brushed off the cobwebs.

It was much better than the lacklustre pre-season they endured.

Inter Miami kick-started their pre-season programme with a disappointing 0-0 draw with El Salvador.

Both Messi and Luis Suarez drew a blank on their Inter Miami reunion, with the attacking stars playing 45 minutes in the team’s draw.

Following that game, Messi and his Inter Miami team-mates featured in front of a near-empty Cotton Bowl stadium for a drab friendly against FC Dallas.

Incredible images from the game in a rainy Texas show the World Cup winner lining up alongside two fellow legends in Suarez and Sergio Busquets – – but the rare appearance of soccer royalty failed to create the sort of buzz MLS had hoped for.

There were just 32,211 fans in attendance – a third of the capacity of the huge venue – with large swathes of empty seats seen throughout the stadium. Dallas’ Jesus Ferreira scored the only goal of the game inside three minutes.

Inter Miami then continued to clock up the miles during their off-season, flying to Saudi Arabia to face two more money-spinning games.

Their first match was a narrow 4-3 defeat to Al-Hilal, where Aleksandar Mitrovic gave Al-Hilal an early lead.

Shortly afterwards, midfielder Ruben Neves turned away from Messi, leaving the Argentine icon in a heap on the floor.

It follows a nightmare pre-season for Inter Miami. Messi was a late substitute as his side were thrashed 6-0 by Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr

Fans were left furious after Lionel Messi remained on the bench during a game in Hong Kong

Local fans couldn’t hide their frustration after paying as much as £365 to watch Messi play

Some of the advertising boards at Hong Kong Stadium featuring Messi were damaged

Inter Miami then moved onto a blockbuster showdown against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, in a clash that had been billed as the ‘Last Dance’ between two great rivals.

However, the Portuguese striker was forced to pull out of the occasion with a muscle injury, while Messi took to the pitch for only seven minutes, with his side already 6-0 down by the time he was introduced.

After that, the MLS side headed out to Hong Kong, where things only went from bad to worse for Messi and his team-mates, as angry fans demanded a refund after paying up to £365 to watch the Argentine.

Their anger stemmed from the fact Messi, who featured prominently in the advertising ahead of the event, remained on the bench throughout Inter Miami’s 4-1 win over a Hong Kong league XI.

Some 40,000 fans were furious and it even ended in a political dispute, with Hong Kong’s government demanding an explanation from organisers, while they threatened to withdraw $2m (£1.6m) of funding to the organisers that helped bring Inter Miami to the city. ‘The organiser owes all football fans an explanation,’ they said in a statement.

Hong Kong’s sports minister also claimed that Messi had been contracted to play for at least 45 minutes.