The Messi-effect is in full force. Less than one full calendar year playing for Inter Miami, we can already deem the move to North America a win for football, or more particularly, soccer. Over the weekend Messi had one of his most memorable nights on the East coast.

Lionel Messi scored two goals to excite a record New England Revolution crowd, leading Inter Miami to a 4-1 victory on Saturday night. Messi did not disappoint the crowd of 65,612 that filled Gillette Stadium, scoring with a left-footed shot from deep inside the box for his ninth goal of the season, putting his side 2-1 up in the 68th minute. Messi made a little history, too. Miami posted that he was the first player in MLS history to record 16 goal contributions in his first seven games of a season.

The attendance beat the previous record of 61,316, when Revolution lost to LA Galaxy in the 2002 MLS final. When the 36-year-old scored, loud cheers echoed around the stands in a match that featured the Eastern Conference’s first-placed Miami against bottom-placed Revolution.

Even with the Boston Celtics and Bruins both in the playoffs, much of the sports landscape centred on Messi’s visit this week. Entering the stadium about 90 minutes before the match were hundreds of fans, mostly kids, wearing the pink Miami Messi jersey. They were easily seen mixed in once the stadium was filled. Sprinkled in were some of the Messi No 10 Argentina white-and-blue-striped shirts.