Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is just in awe of Lionel Messi after the Argentine star put on a show during his MLS debut with Inter Miami.

Messi came in as a second-half substitute in Inter Miami's Leagues Cup opener against Mexican club Cruz Azul on Friday. And he surely didn't disappoint, with Messi delivering the game-winner for his new team deep in stoppage time.

It couldn't have been any better as well. Through the years, Messi has had scored several amazing goals off a free kick, and fans got to witness the same thing in his first game in Major League Soccer.

LeBron James, who shared a hug with Lionel Messi before the contest, could only utter “incredible” following the clutch goal of the 2022 World Cup winner. However, the Lakers forward couldn't stop talking about Messi even after that and had some more high praises for him on social media.

On his Instagram Story, James shared the video of Messi's epic shot and wrote: “Of course he did! HIM [GOAT].” In a follow-up post, he reacted to the goal once more and wrote “WOW WOW WOW.”

No one can blame LeBron for being that ecstatic, though. There was a lot of hype surrounding Messi's MLS debut, though there were also concerns if he can quickly make his presence felt considering that it has been less than a week since he officially joined Inter Miami.

In the end, Messi proved everyone that their concern was not needed at all. And as LeBron said, Messi showed everyone why he's the GOAT.