Up next for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF? Raising the MLS Cup presented by Audi title on Dec. 7 at Chase Stadium.
That’s at least the dream scenario for Messi, who recently sat down with renowned soccer reporter Fabrizio Romano for a 1-on-1 interview. Later this month, the full sit-down discussion will be available on the 433 app and MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
“Hopefully we can win MLS Cup and lift another title,” Messi told Romano. “Not only on a personal level, but especially for the club that did so much to make it happen.”
Trophy mindset
Inter Miami are the No. 1 overall seed in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs and have home-field advantage through the league’s championship match. That follows a record-breaking regular season in which Tata Martino’s squad earned 74 points.
The standard is clear for Inter Miami, who boast arguably the most talented roster in MLS history.
“This is vital for the club’s growth, especially with the way the championship-caliber squad was built,” Messi said of trophy expectations. “We were all aware of that from the start.
“ … It would be great to win it and keep the enthusiasm around our club. We want to keep helping this club grow. We want to make it one of the big clubs in MLS and, if possible, one of the big clubs in the world as well."
Transformational move
In many ways, those lofty expectations boil down to the Messi Effect.
The GOAT's paradigm-shifting move led fellow FC Barcelona legends Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets to join him in Herons pink. It also encouraged young stars like Diego Gómez and Federico Redondo to sign with Inter Miami, and has helped elevate homegrown star Benjamin Cremaschi, among others.
Fresh off tallying 20g/16a in just 19 regular-season matches, Messi embraces what's possible in South Florida.
“We don’t have limits as a club,” said Messi, a finalist for the 2024 Landon Donovan MLS MVP award. “That comes from our ownership. That is their philosophy, to always want more. The proof is in all the things they have achieved up to this point.
“I think winning titles helps that process along. We want to keep winning and competing in everything that is at stake. Time will tell what this team is capable of achieving."
Freedom To Dream
Should Inter Miami win MLS Cup, they’d become the ninth double-winning side in league history. That accomplishment would also give Messi 47 trophies across club and country, extending his world record.
The Argentine superstar, whose MLS introduction was Hollywood-esque two summers ago, has every reason to dream big.
“The truth is it’s all been a bit spectacular, hasn’t it? Because when we arrived we knew we had to win titles and compete in order to make this a big club,” said Messi, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and 2022 FIFA World Cup champion.
“When we got to the club, the team was in a bad spot in MLS. In just a short amount of time after I arrived, we won the Leagues Cup. That was the club’s first title. It was something extraordinary for everyone because I had just arrived and it all came together beautifully.”
