Lionel Messi has led Inter Miami to their first MLS title with yet another record – and he wants more. However, things will be different in the new season.
Lionel Messi was the regular season’s top scorer with 29 goals and set another MLS record with 15 assists in the playoffs. But when coach Javier Mascherano was asked about his superstar after Inter Miami’s championship triumph on Saturday, these spectacular numbers were secondary to him.
“His commitment to the team was fantastic throughout the season,” raved Messi’s Argentine compatriot. “In the last two, three, four games, he really threw himself into it, pressed hard. That showed us how important it was for him to win.” And that’s why he’s just “happy for him,” Mascherano emphasized after the 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. “He came here to win this trophy.”
Beckham: “Leo is a winner, it’s as simple as that.”
And Messi wasn’t alone in this. While still a player, David Beckham had a clause written into his MLS contract that allowed him to build a franchise on favorable terms after his career ended. After years of work, Inter Miami was finally born in 2018 and made its MLS debut in 2020.
“There were many sleepless nights,” Beckham revealed after he and Messi were allowed to lay their hands on the championship trophy for the first time shortly before the award ceremony. “But I always believed in Miami and the team here. We always promised the fans that we would bring in the best players and thus achieve success.”
Because Messi is “not here to enjoy life in Miami,” even though he does so with his family. “He came here to win, that’s what Leo is all about. He has this dedication, this loyalty to his teammates, the city, the club. Leo is a winner, it’s as simple as that.”
The 38-year-old himself left no doubt about that on Saturday. The 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 Supporters’ Shield—as the best team in the regular season—were nice, too. “But this was the real goal,” he told ESPN, speaking of a “beautiful, emotional moment.”
Messi wants to avoid Reus’ fate – Inter set to move
It won’t be the last. Unlike his long-time teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, who ended their careers with the championship title (“two friends who are very dear to me”), Messi extended his contract in October until 2028. When the new season kicks off in February, it will be about much more than just getting ready for the World Cup. In the last “normal” MLS season before the league gradually aligns itself with the playing rhythm of the top European leagues, Inter wants to break the curse that has accompanied US champions for years. There have been nine different champions in the past ten seasons, with only Columbus Crew celebrating twice (2020, 2023). Most recently, Marco Reus and Los Angeles Galaxy experienced a sudden crash as title holders in 2024.
Inter’s upcoming move provides extra motivation: from now on, Messi & Co. Co. will play their home games at the 25,000-capacity Miami Freedom Park near the airport. It’s the next milestone for the club and Beckham, who didn’t want to look too far ahead on Saturday, however. “Next year we’ll continue, but today we’re celebrating.”