While some imagined one last dance, Lionel Messi scored a new tango to increase his record. The Argentine, the most successful footballer in history with 47 titles, won the first of the American League (MLS Cup) and gave Inter Miami, a club that has only existed for six years, its first major crown by beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the final.
This match was also the last for two legends like Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, the last active players of the best football generation in history, the one that won the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships. And essential pieces of the best Barça of the time. The Spaniards announced a few weeks ago that they would leave the playing fields after the final played at Chase Stadium, the stadium of heronsas the Florida team is called.
The game would not be easy for them. The Vancouver team had more control and played with more momentum. Although an own goal made the match difficult for them, the team coached by Javier Mascherano took a step back and conceded chances until the Canadians equalized through the boots of Ali Ahmed.
There were 20 minutes remaining, Inter were overwhelmed by the suffocating pressure of Cupswhen in one of these explosions, Messi manages to steal a ball three-quarters of the way across the field to give an assist that leaves Rodrigo de Paul alone. The midfielder crossed in front of the goalkeeper, to give his team the advantage and decide the match.
Messi is no longer the explosive footballer who played near the wing at Barça, nor the speedy magician who outplayed his rivals when playing as a false nine. Today, at 39 and on the eve of his last World Cup, he is competing a little further, strategist. The statistics add two assists in the final. This new position has not diminished his goal total, however: 43 goals in 48 games so far this year. Implacable, voracious and merciless, the chip He continues to terrify his rivals every time he controls the ball and faces.
The Argentinian found an unexpected ally in the person of his compatriot Tadeo Allende, whose emergence in playoffs She was decisive in bringing the Florida team to the MLS final. He scored the third goal in added time, on a pass from Messi, to certify the victory for Inter Miami. Strong, fast, rocky and without complexes when it came to taking over from Luis Suárez, relegated to the bench by Mascherano, Allende gave more dynamism to the team with incessant pressure and persistent takeoff in search of space.
The match was actually a duel between two legends: Messi and Thomas Müller, the German striker who Cups They signed last summer in an attempt to change their history. There were pending accounts. The former Bayern player is an old acquaintance of the former Blaugrana. He was the leader of Mannschaft who beat Argentina in injury time in the 2014 World Cup final, thanks to a pitiful goal from Mario Gotze. He also led the Munich team that beat Messi’s Barca 8-2 in the Champions League quarter-finals in the year of the pandemic. One season later, the Argentine star left the club for PSG.
At 36, Müller still retains an energy and ambition which infects his team. With his socks down, he continued to run and command his teammates who were better placed, despite the defeat.
The Argentinian caused a sensation in a country that wants to take advantage of his influence to popularize football. It’s a minority sport in the United States, where fans still prefer the NFL or NBA, despite the fact that it will host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico. This was precisely one of the objectives of signing Messi at Inter Miami, a team chaired by David Beckham, who also incorporated into the squad some of the fundamental elements of the best Barça in history. The victory of Inter Miami puts an end to the careers of Alba and Busquets, world champions in 2010 with this wonderful Spain of Xavi and Iniesta.
Messi filled stadiums, skyrocketed jersey sales, and ultimately took the American league to another level. He scored 77 goals in 87 games during his two seasons in MLS, during which he also provided 43 assists. With this victory, the Argentinian expands his legend. After all, as a senior FIFA official said a week ago: “Messi does more for soccer in the United States than the relationship between Infantino and Donald Trump.” »