Messi finally conquers America, gets his 48th trophy

Over the past twenty or so years, numerous major cities across the United States have done everything they could to try to turn MLS into an NBA-like product, to make it as close as possible in popularity to the NFL and MLB, but that simply was not possible because “soccer” is not so deeply rooted in the blood of the Yankees. Still, something else happened when arguably the greatest footballer in history arrived at Inter Miami two and a half years ago and signed the biggest contract in football history.

From a financial standpoint, Messi paid off for the Florida club within the first few months, but in terms of results, that only happened on this night. Inter Miami defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3–1 (1–0) in the MLS final, and Lionel Messi thus managed to win the U.S. national championship on his third attempt. Leo did not get on the scoresheet in the final match, but he recorded two assists, including the crucial one for Rodrigo De Paul in the 71st minute. The fiery De Paul had Messi’s back in Qatar in 2022, and now once again confirmed just how important a role he plays in the late stage of the Rosario maestro’s career. This match also marked the retirement from football of Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

Back in 2008, Messi won Olympic gold in Beijing; he waited 14 years and endured much suffering to finally reach the World Cup, he collected all the timeless treasures in world football with Barcelona, and now he has also raided the American vault, further cementing the fact that he is the most decorated footballer in history. This is Messi’s 48th trophy in his senior career. He previously won 35 trophies with Barcelona, six with the Argentina national team (youth World Cups are counted among senior trophies), three with Paris Saint-Germain, and four with Inter Miami. Still, this is by far the most valuable trophy he has won in America. The only thing missing now is the CONCACAF Champions League trophy.

The situation became complicated for the favorites in the 60th minute, when Ali Ahmed equalized to make it 1–1. The ball first struck the post of Inter’s goal after a shot by a Vancouver player, then luckily rebounded to the foot of the Canadian footballer of Ethiopian origin. It seemed the match would not be decided within the 90 minutes, but then came moments of Messi’s magic.

First, a magical pass found Rodrigo De Paul in the 75th minute, and then another went to his fellow countryman Tadeo Allende in stoppage time. Messi put both compatriots through on goal and was thus directly involved in the scoring. It sparked huge celebrations in the stands in Fort Lauderdale, tears on the faces of Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, and provided the most beautiful possible farewell into retirement for two long-time teammates from Barcelona and Miami.