Lionel Messi made his first start for Inter Miami in a 4-0 win over Atlanta United. He scored twice and set up one goal.

The 36-year-old star of Argentina scored two goals in the first 22 minutes. In the second half, he set up Robert Taylor for a goal.

After Messi scored his second goal, he celebrated by pointing at David Beckham, who owns Inter Miami.

Last week, on his first game, he scored a free kick in extra time that won the game.

“On the ball, he can do everything. Taylor said, “He can keep it in tight places, and he always makes the right choice.”

“He’ll usually find one of his teammates. He brings so many good things to the team. He’s the best player in the world, right?

“This is what he does: he scores two goals, like he did in the last game, and he gets an assist. To play with him is a dream come true.”

Messi, who has won the Ballon d’Or seven times, only trained with the rest of his team for the first time last week. He moved to the Major League Soccer team after his deal with Paris St-Germain ended.

The winner of the World Cup in 2022 got 32 goals in 75 games with the French champions over a two-year period. He turned down lucrative offers from other countries to play in the US.

Messi scored the first goal in the ninth minute when he put away a rebound from his own shot after Sergio Busquets, a former Barcelona teammate and another new player, played a ball over the top to him.

He made it 2-0 13 minutes later when he worked with Taylor, a Finnish defender, to finish a low cross from close range.

Taylor added a third goal before halftime, and Messi set up the 28-year-old to score the final goal on a breakaway in the second half.

Messi was taken off the field in the 78th minute to a standing applause. Soon after, a number of fans left the DRV PNK Stadium, which holds 20,000 people.

“I didn’t even notice. But because of the kind of player he is, it’s fair that this happens,” said Gerardo Martino, the head coach of Inter Miami.

“I would have liked the crowd to stay and honor the whole team, but I can also see why they left.”

With the win, Inter Miami moved on in the Leagues Cup to the next round.