FORT LAUDERDALE — Lionel Messi scored four goals and added an assist Saturday as Inter Miami CF routed CF Montréal 7-1 at Nu Stadium, setting a club record for goals in a single game and vaulting the 39-year-old to the top of the MLS Golden Boot race.

Messi broke a 1-1 deadlock with a 40th-minute free kick, then added a second on a solo run in the 52nd minute. He chipped Montréal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier for the hat trick before smashing home a free kick from distance in the final moments for his fourth. The performance pushed his season totals to 18 goals and 10 assists, leapfrogging FC Dallas striker Petar Musa, who sits at 16 goals and 2 assists.

“That’s what it means to have Messi on the team,” Herons midfielder Casemiro, who opened his MLS account in the 20th minute, told Apple TV after the match. “We have to enjoy these moments because he is a person, a player who makes history. We saw today that we have to enjoy it, keep supporting and keep competing with him because he continues to be the best. He proved it in the World Cup. We have to enjoy it because, with him, we are so much stronger.”

Messi became just the 19th player in MLS history to score four goals in a game and the fastest player in league history to reach 20 multigoal games, doing so in 72 appearances. The performance strengthens his case for a third consecutive Landon Donovan MLS MVP award, which would make him the first player to win the honor three straight times. Miami are also chasing a repeat of their MLS Cup 2025 win, which would make them the first back-to-back champions since the LA Galaxy in 2011-12.

Interim head coach Guillermo Hoyos, who watched from the stands due to suspension, called the display beyond description. “He manifests himself now the same way he manifested himself at that age. The similarities are unbelievable, with his soccer abilities increased by all of his soccer knowledge,” Hoyos said. “Honestly, I see something really surprising in him: permanent growth. Not only when he was that age. Today he’s another age, and he keeps growing and getting bigger. There are no words.”

Hoyos added: “I’ll say it again: I don’t have any qualifiers for such soccer beauty. There are so many things combined that leave you at a loss for words, no? I don’t think he’s a normal soccer player. You have to do a really deep analysis to find out what he’s like, soccer-wise and as a person.”

Despite the dominant victory — just the fourth MLS regular-season win for Miami at Nu Stadium — the South Florida club still trails Nashville SC by 10 points in the race for the Supporters’ Shield and the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The win could serve as a bookend to the Hoyos era, as new manager Cristian ‘Kily’ González prepares to take over once he and his coaching staff arrive.

Inter Miami host Atlanta United next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.