Messi’s Legacy Need No Validation from Inter Miami Win
I mean, the whole football world kinda freaked when Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in their first World Cup game back in ’22 in Qatar. Seriously, the thought of Messi having another international disaster was looming large. You know, the pain from losing that 2014 World Cup final to Germany, and those Copa América losses to Chile back-to-back… it still felt raw, even though he just won the 2021 Copa América. After all those heartbreaks, Messi actually quit the national team right there in the MetLife Stadium tunnel after missing that penalty against Chile in 2016. Yeah, it was harsh, Argentina also lost to Chile in penalties in 2015 Copa América, adding insult to injury.
“This is, like, too much. I just felt the national team isn’t for me right now in the locker room, so I’m done,” Messi said in New Jersey almost ten years ago. By then, it was pretty clear he didn’t have a great run with international finals, and his retirement didn’t last long. Still, fast forward just a few weeks after that crazy loss to Saudi Arabia, and BAM!
That 2022 World Cup win over France, that sealed it for so many fans and the media – he was the best EVER. He needed that trophy to, like, compete with Maradona and sit at that imaginary table with Pelé. So, will winning—or losing— the MLS Cup on Saturday really change the fact that, ya know, most people think he’s way different than Cristiano Ronaldo?
To prove anything about his career, Messi really doesn’t need that MLS Cup trophy. If Messi somehow pulls off a MLS Cup win, it won’t even make his eight Ballon d’Or awards shine any brighter. And heck, it won’t even make up for that 2008 Olympic gold medal he got with Argentina in China. Beating the Vancouver Whitecaps won’t ever, EVER compare to those four Champions League titles he bagged with Barcelona. If Messi scores like a hat trick or some crazy goal to win on Saturday, it’d be amazing for Commissioner Don Garber and huge for MLS, no doubt!
However, it wont compare to that crazy game changer goal against Mexico in Doha, or that whole performance in that legendary final. Right now, Messi could pretty much retire from the Argentina national team before next summer’s World Cup, and it wouldn’t change his status as one of the greats, you know? Still, we’re all kinda expecting Messi to lead Argentina at the, what, 48-team tournament in 2026, yeah?
If, like, Argentina ends up winning the championship again, do you think regular folks and fans would see Saturday as a sign of, ya know, an amazing accomplishment for the Albiceleste? Probably not, right? I mean, even though Messi’s been super dedicated to Inter Miami and putting up crazy numbers since he joined back in ’23, the whole situation surrounding his time in North America kinda reminds you that his career’s winding down, ya know? A career with, like, a ton of amazing stuff .
He’s not playing against Newell’s Old Boys in Rosario to avoid relegation, that’s for sure. And he won’t be playing in the Copa Libertadores championship game Saturday either. But like, no matter if he wins or loses against Vancouver, the applause or criticism he gets will be, uh, kinda tempered, if not measured. That’s ’cause, at 38, playing in America is still seen more as an adventure than a real challenge, I think. “What he’s doing now isn’t really football, it’s like a parody of football,” said Fernando Signorini, you know, the guy who was Maradona’s personal physio and then did the same thing with the Argentina national team.
Signorini’s a pretty respected voice in Argentine football. Signorini went on, saying Messi’s stuck in some crazy , record-breaking machine, and he just doesn’t get why. He also mentioned he saw a game at the Inter Miami stadium and it just wasn’t the same, felt like another sport altogether. In a recent chat with Telemundo and FDP’s Andrés Cantor, Mauricio Pochettino, who’s head coach of the U.S. men’s national team now, was asked about the difference between soccer and, like, football. Even though they weren’t really talking about Messi, Pochettino’s take on American soccer culture pretty much echoed Signorini’s more critical view, but maybe in a more diplomatic way.
“I think soccer is entertainment, similar to baseball, American football, basketball, or hockey,” Pochettino said, and I kinda get what he’s saying. “I think they are sports designed to entertain the masses. Unlike football in other countries, soccer is a way to entertain people, to generate very little emotion , and to create the possibility of enjoying a victory, but not dramatizing the defeat because the consequence of relegation doesn’t exist in MLS, or something that could be dramatic.
Because when we talk about football in other countries, it’s the drama or it’s the victory — defeat is drama and victory is glory. That describes very graphically the difference between soccer and football.” I mean, makes sense when you put it like that.
If you wanna like, wag your finger at Pochettino, go ahead, but I think he’s kinda got a point, ya know? Messi showing up in the US was timed perfecly. If Messi and Argentina are playin’ awesome, the 2026 World Cup will def highlight MLS in a good way, and the league—Inter Miami too—will, like, totally benefit from the exposure.
But now, if Messi looks, um, physically beat next summer, everyone’s gonna blame his three seasons in MLS, right? Which takes us to another way of lookin’ at all this. Saturday? Messi can’t afford a loss, man. Even if a loss wouldn’t like, dent his perfect trophy collection, it could hurt his image, I think.
When it comes to game day, Messi and Ronaldo? They’re at their best, dude. They gotta be excellent. For as long as Messi is the Inter Miami captain, the club’s gonna be under pressure to win the MLS Cup every year. Last year’s Inter Miami team totally smashed the league’s regular season points record, but they got beat by Atlanta United in the first round of the playoffs. Oops!
In 2025, Inter Miami’s had ups and downs, sure, but they’re kinda the closest thing to an MLS juggernaut right now. Inter Miami’s a huge favorite against Vancouver. They’re also a club that’s figured out how to bend the league rules a little to have a starting XI with Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Rodrigo de Paul. Which, some MLS refs seem to treat Messi kinda special, and that’s, like, a thing people talk about – rivals, fans, even the coaches.
Messi’s lost like, a dozen finals over his career. The most recent? That 3-0 thumping against the Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup final on August 31st. That was a tough loss, but winnin’ the MLS Cup final is still Inter Miami’s biggest goal. Even though an MLS trophy will never be as cool as a Champions League medal, for a player like Messi who’s, ya know, getting on a bit, sometimes the last title is the one that means the most, right?
If he can’t lead his new club to the MLS promised land a second year in a row, everyone’s gonna blame Messi. I mean, seriously, all fingers will point to him. But don’t sweat it; losin’ to Vancouver on Saturday won’t make Messi, like, announce his retirement or something. After all that guy’s already won everything there is to win.
