FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi’s legacy was long secured when he came to Inter Miami and joined Major League Soccer. He won the World Cup, won dozens of trophies, and was generally considered the greatest player in the history of the sport.
he didn’t need it MLS Cup.
But he wanted it, so he got it.
Messi and Inter Miami defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the MLS Cup final on Saturday, completing their ascension to the franchise’s first championship. It happened two and a half years after the legend arrived. in south floridaa move that surprised many onlookers at the time.
He led the team to a League Cup trophy in 2023, won the MLS Supporters’ Shield last year before being eliminated in the first round of the play-offs – and now they have the biggest prize in MLS.
“Last year we were eliminated early in the league, eliminated in the first round,” Messi said in Spanish after the game. “Winning MLS this year was one of our main goals. The team put in a huge effort. It was a very long year with a lot of games and we fulfilled that mission throughout the season.”
Messi set up the title-clinching goal in the 72nd minute with an assist to Rodrigo De Paul, a play in which Messi stole the ball and threaded a pass through a small gap in the Vancouver defensive wall. De Paul took it in stride and tucked it into the far corner of the goal. And seconds later, Messi took to the air and jumped into his arms with a big smile on his face.
And as the final minutes passed, Inter Miami fans dressed in pink, most of them wearing Messi’s No. 10 shirt, stood up, stomped and cheered. South Florida has won NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and NHL titles in the past.
Nowadays, it is also a soccer city. Messi made it happen. Taddeo Allende scores in the 6th minute of stoppage time — Of course, also turned off Messi’s assist — to make it 3-1. Confetti rained down and fireworks went off as Messi lifted the trophy surrounded by his teammates.
“This was a dream,” said Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas. “It was a wonderful day.”
Inter Miami became the 16th franchise to win the MLS title in the league’s 30-year history. And this expands on MLS-like records, with five different franchises winning the title in the past five years and eight franchises winning the title in the past nine seasons, with Columbus being the only team to win twice in that span.
“They said soccer would never take off in America,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said at the trophy ceremony. “Dear Inter Miami fans, was your soccer success?”
It happened, and this moment also marks the culmination of a 12-year journey for David Beckham, a member of Inter Miami’s ownership group.
He retired as a player in 2013, but his MLS contract said he could start a franchise at a discounted rate after his career ended. Beckham chose Miami and it took years to finally make it happen. The franchise was officially born in January 2018 in partnership with Miami businessmen Jorge and Jose Mas, but even then the team had no plans for a stadium.
The team started playing in 2020, and Messi joined midway through the 2023 season. Inter Miami was at the bottom of MLS at the time.
Then Messi arrived. The lowest ranked team would then run the league.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” Beckham said.
The trophy is Messi’s 47th for club and country, extending his world record in men’s soccer, although some say it is actually his 48th since MLS also awards trophies for winning conference titles. He has now won at least 21 titles in one-match finals, many of them with the central figures of this team, including long-time Barcelona team-mates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suárez and Javier Mascherano.
Busquets and Alba must retire and go into the game as champions. Suarez’s future is uncertain. Mascherano is now a coach, and with this moment in mind, he changed Inter Miami’s lineup and tactics midway through the season, leading the club for the first time.
And the 38-year-old Messi, who was the 2024 MLS MVP and is expected to win the award again this season, is unlike any other in the most important moments due to his contract. maybe you can let him play Until the early 40s in Miami. When next season begins, the team will play in a new stadium near Miami International Airport with the goal of winning back-to-back championships.
“He didn’t come here just to enjoy life in Miami,” Beckham said. “His wife and kids love Miami, but he came here to win. That’s who Leo really is. He wants to win. He has that dedication, that loyalty that he shows to his teammates, to the city, to the club. Leo is a winner. It’s that simple.”
Inter Miami took a 1-0 lead with an own goal in the 8th minute, before Vancouver equalized in the 60th minute with Ali Ahmed’s goal. About two minutes later, another Vancouver shot hit both posts but missed the target, making for a huge moment.
“It was a very close game and it could have gone differently,” Vancouver coach Jesper Sorensen said. “But that’s football.”
Mascherano said, “Maybe I needed some luck to become champion.”
Shortly after the final whistle, Messi went to the Inter Miami fans’ stand and threw his hands in the air. It was a moment two and a half years in the making. The team remained on the field for more than an hour afterward, taking photos with friends and family.
“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for and the moment we’ve been waiting for as a team,” Messi said. “It’s such a beautiful thing for all of us. They deserve it.”
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