Arguably the best football player of all time, after his exploits with Barcelona, PSG and Argentina, Lionel Messi still continues to break records at the age of 38 and is currently enjoying a prolific season in the MLS.
Following his transfer to Inter Miami in 2023, which many people raised eyebrows at – especially when he had lucrative offers on the table from Saudi Arabia – Messi has flourished.
While people could not believe he turned down Saudi Arabia, he knew what he was doing and negotiated just as good a deal – if not better with not only Inter Miami, but also the MLS itself.
Joining the Florida side midway through the 2023 season, he played 14 games in all competitions and scored 11 goals, along with five assists.
During the 2024 season, in 19 matches, he notched 20 goals, while producing 16 assists. This season, he is on course for his best yet – 21 games played in the regular MLS campaign, with 20 goals and 11 assists.
If anything, the Argentine appears to keep getting better, the older he gets and next summer it is the World Cup in the US (along with Mexico and Canada). Barring an injury, Messi will likely appear for Argentina, in the country where he plays (and now lives).
Having won it (finally), last time out, Argentina will be one of the favourites to retain it and no doubt, Messi will be in the spotlight.
Playing In A Team Of Stars
Inter Miami, under ambitious owner, David Beckham, embarked on somewhat of a ‘galacticos’ shopping spree – without the transfer fees, though substantial wages. Messi has been joined by former Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, who are enjoying sweeping opponents aside.
The facilities are also top class. The training ground is fully equipped, each player has everything they need, even probably access to a king size bed if they want to rest between training sessions.
Arguably, Inter Miami has become a glamour destination for top players getting slightly past their prime in Europe, but who can still do a top job.
There is an argument that Messi could even be one of the best in the world still. Ousmane Dembele – one of his teammates (and mentees) at both Barcelona and PSG, has just won the Ballon D’or, though, had Messi still been playing in Europe, there is every reason why he could have been a contender.
Winning another World Cup would probably also cement him as the best player of all time – he can definitely say that he’s done it all. Should Inter Miami win the league as well, then he will have won silverware in every country that he’s played in so far during his career.