New England Revolution coach Caleb Porter has lavished praise on Lionel Messi after Inter Miami beat his team 2-1 in the MLS on Wednesday night, July 09. It was the Argentine sensation who made the difference, scoring both of his teams goals in this match.Following the game's conclusion, Herons boss, Javier Mascherano, admitted that he wanted to rest Messi for a portion of the game. However, a late goal from the opponent meant that the former Barcelona man had to stay on.Porter heard these comments and said (via GOAL):“I said it going into the game that Messi is playing some of the best soccer of his career; and man, it just shows how professional he is, how competitive he is."“The guy’s a beast. The fact that he plays every game of the Club World Cup, comes back from there and you think, `Oh, maybe he takes a break one of these games,’ but I’m sure he’s going to the manager’s door and saying `I’m playing. I don’t want a break.'"He added:“Many players would say, `Yeah, I’ll take a break here’ or `Bring me off the bench this next game’, and this guy probably heard it was going to be a big crowd of 60,000 and wanted to put on a show.”Messi has now made 15 appearances in the MLS this season, bagging 14 goals and six assists. Inter Miami are now fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, but have played three fewer games than all those above them.Former Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit believes Lionel Messi's Barcelona return is not possibleLionel MessiThere is much speculation over Lionel Messi's future, with his Inter Miami contract expiring in December 2025. If he wishes to play the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 37-year-old would want to make sure of competitive action.As a result, Messi has been linked with a move back to Barcelona and other places like Saudi Arabia. However, Emmanuel Petit claims a return to Camp Nou is not likely and told EscapistMagazine (via GOAL):"There is no way we will see Messi back at Barcelona. I wish him the best in getting to the 2026 World Cup and I think then he will retire."Messi may not be too ambitious to feature in the World Cup either, after he managed to win the prize with Argentina in 2022. He's registered 193 caps for his country, scoring 112 times.