O Inter Miami made history by winning the first Major League Soccer (MLS) of its history, this Saturday, defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps3-1, in the final between the winners of the Eastern and Western Conferences. Lionel Messi didn’t score, but he assisted… a double.
The game could not have started better for Javier Mascherano’s team, the result of Edier Ocampo’s foolish early riser, with just eight minutes of play at Chase Stadium, in Florida.
Lionel Messi still tried to score in the first half, but the most dangerous team ended up being Vancouver, which almost left the Canadians to celebrate the equalizer through the experienced Thomas Muller.
It didn’t happen in the first half, it happened in the second. Ali Ahmed was responsible for the equalizing goal, scored in the 60th minute, challenging the United States of America team to an intense dispute for the trophy in the last half hour.
In that chapter, Inter Miami was the one smiling. The Vancouver Whitecaps players were distracted, Lionel Messi took the opportunity to steal the ball in a prohibited zone and, with a sweet pass into the penalty area, left Rodrigo de Paul in the face of the opposing goalkeeper, just in time to make it 2-1 in the 71st minute.
There was still time for the match’s defining goal to appear in stoppage time. At 90+6′, Tadeo Allende made the most of the Argentine star’s new assist to seal the final 3-1.
ES NUESTRA!! 2025 MLS CUP CHAMPIONSSSS #CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/YM121V6ksO
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) December 6, 2025
In this way, Inter Miami wins the MLS for the first time in its short history, as it is a club founded in 2018, by former footballer David Beckham.
Messi’s best year outside Europe
Since leaving European football – where he shone with Barcelona and PSG -, Lionel Messi began to show what he was worth in North American football as early as 2023, but it was precisely in 2025 that he had his best year at Inter Miami, recording 43 goals and 26 assists in 49 games.
Before that, the Argentine striker had scored 11 goals in the second half of 2023, in addition to five assists, in 14 games, followed by a season with 23 successful goals and 13 passes for a goal in 25 games, in 2024. All things considered, the sum for the first year and a half ends up being lower than what he scored in the current calendar year, which ends up being one of history for his team.
Remember that, at this point, it is still not guaranteed that Lionel Messi will be representing world champion Argentina in the next World Cup, in 2026, which will take place precisely in the United States of America, as well as in Canada and Mexico.
[Notícia atualizada às 21h55]
