SOCCER: Messi scores 100th goal for Inter Miami in Campeones Cup win over Cruz Azul

Lionel Messi scored his 100th goal for Inter Miami as the American side beat Mexican club Cruz Azul 2-0 to lift the Campeones Cup at the Miami Freedom Park on Wednesday.

Messi, making his 115th appearance for the Miami, struck 24 minutes into the annual match between the MLS Cup holders and the Mexican Campeon de Campeones winners. Casemiro scored a late goal to secure the win.

Former Barcelona and Paris St Germain forward Messi joined Miami in 2023 and has helped them win four trophies so far.

The 39-year-old, who is Argentina's all-time highest scorer with 125 goals and led them to a World Cup triumph in 2022, announced his retirement from international soccer last month and will take his final bow for the national team in a friendly against Benin on October 6.

-Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Purulia, India; Editing by Christopher Cushing/Reuters