Lionel Messi’s ‘denied’ 61st hat-trick: Why MLS didn’t recognize it in Inter Miami game

Lionel Messi was the driving force behind Inter Miami‘s thrilling comeback against FC Cincinnati on Wednesday, May 13th, but Major League Soccer declined to credit him with what would have been the 61st hat-trick of his career.

Visiting Cincinnati for a regular-season MLS match, Messi opened the scoring in the 24th minute by pressing high, winning the ball from a poor Matt Miazga pass and finishing clinically. After the hosts fought back to lead 2-1, Messi restored parity with a composed finish set up by a key cross from Rodrigo De Paul.

Evander put Cincinnati back in front at 3-2 in the 64th minute, but Messi quickly responded, this time as a creator, threading an assist to Mateo Silvetti to level the score. Then, in the 89th minute, after a defensive miscommunication in Cincinnati’s backline left German Berterame with a rebound, Messi capped off the comeback by sliding home after a Silvetti cross to complete what many in attendance believed was a hat-trick.

A hat-trick denied by MLS

With the comeback sealed, all eyes turned to Messi, who had contributed three goals and an assist to guide Inter Miami to victory, a result that lifted the Herons to second place in the Eastern Conference with 25 points from 13 games. But MLS moved to clarify the official record.

On its official website, the league attributed the 89th-minute goal to an own goal by Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano. The ball had deflected off the post and appeared destined to stay out, but Celentano made slight contact with it on the way through. Because the ball was not crossing the line without his touch, he was credited as having turned it into his own net, stripping Messi of what would have been a historic moment.

Messi keeps producing, but his hat-trick tally stands

The performance moved Messi to 12 goals and four assists in 14 appearances during the 2026 MLS season, a run of form that bodes well for Argentina’s title defense at the upcoming World Cup. His all-time career totals now stand at 909 goals and 411 assists across 1,153 games, though his official hat-trick count remains frozen at 60 following MLS’s ruling.

Messi currently sits second among active players in career hat-tricks, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo, who leads with 66. Wednesday’s performance would have trimmed that gap to five, but with the goal officially credited to Celentano, the chase will have to wait for another night.