Simply put, Lionel Messi knows how to step up to the occasion. All eyes were on the 36-year-old on Friday night as he made his highly-anticipated Inter Miami debut. It wasn't until the 55th minute that Messi finally took the pitch for the first time in Miami's color. However, his arrival was well worth the wait.

With the match tied at 1-1 and Inter Miami headed to a draw against Cruz Azul, Messi had the perfect opportunity to announce his arrival via a free kick from 25 yards out — and boy did he deliver:

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson caught wind of the wondergoal and he could not help but share his hyped reaction to Messi's heroics:

A few other players from around the NBA such as Patrick Beverley, who recently signed with the Philadelphia 76ers via NBA free agency, also took to Twitter to express how they were left in awe by Messi's magic:

 

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John Henson hit the nail on the head here. Lionel Messi is indeed the GOAT and his stunning goal in his Inter Miami debut is a clear testament to this fact. The Argentine could not have marked his arrival with a bigger bang, and just when the stakes were at their highest, Messi absolutely delivered in the clutch — as he always does.

Inter Miami fans are totally hyped by this performance and they will be happy to know that there's much more where that came from.

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