Casemiro has praised Lionel Messi after the Argentine produced another stunning performance for Inter Miami.
Messi scored four goals and provided an assist as Miami crushed CF Montreal 7-1 in Major League Soccer on Sunday.
The result also ended Miami’s five game winless run in all competitions.
For Casemiro, the performance was another reminder of what Messi can still do at the age of 39.
“That’s what it means to have Messi on the team,” Casemiro told Apple TV.
“We have to enjoy these moments because he is a person, a player that makes history.”
Casemiro joined Inter Miami in July after his Manchester United contract expired.
His move also brought him together with a player he once faced in one of football’s biggest rivalries.
Casemiro played for Real Madrid while Messi was the star of Barcelona. They faced each other several times in Spain.
Now they are teammates in Miami.
“We saw today that we have to enjoy it, keep supporting and keep competing with him because he continues to be the best,” Casemiro said.
“He proved it in the World Cup. We have to enjoy it because, with him, we are so much stronger.”
Messi gave Casemiro plenty of reasons to make that claim on Sunday.
The Argentine put Miami back in front shortly before half time. He scored his second goal in the 52nd minute before completing his hat trick in the 83rd.
Messi was not finished. He scored from a free kick in stoppage time to complete his four goal performance.
It was the first time Messi had scored four goals in an MLS match.
He also moved to the top of the MLS scoring chart with 18 goals this season.
Inter Miami interim coach Guillermo Hoyos was also full of praise for Messi.
“There are no words to describe such footballing beauty,” Hoyos said. “So much is going on that words simply fall short.”
Hoyos believes Messi remains a special player because he is always searching for his next chance to make a difference.
“He is constantly looking for that goal, that play, that pass; I don’t think he’s an ordinary footballer. Analysing him, both as a player and as a person, goes so deep that you run out of words.”
Messi’s performance helped Miami return to winning ways in style.
For Casemiro, however, it was also another chance to appreciate a player he spent years trying to stop and can now enjoy having on his own side.
