FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – This is why Lionel Messi came to MLS.

Put all the pageantry, the noise, the marketing, the money aside. It was about winning MLS Cup presented by Audi and lifting the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy. Then, about walking around the back of the stage and lifting silverware over his head as fireworks shot off and confetti blanketed the field.

Saturday at Chase Stadium was a crowning moment for Messi, who powered Inter Miami CF to a 3-1 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium. He was named MLS Cup MVP presented by Audi for his efforts, finishing with two assists and helping create their opener.

Messi arrived in MLS in July 2023. He and his teammates lifted Leagues Cup, but ran out of steam in their quest to make the playoffs. In 2024, Miami put together a record-setting regular season with 74 points and won the Supporters' Shield, but again saw their quest for the top prize cut short.

Now, Miami are on top of the league and Messi has a world record 47th trophy for club or country.

“Three years ago, I decided to come to MLS, and today we are MLS champions,” Messi said post-match on Apple TV. “We reached the semifinals of the [Concacaf] Champions Cup. Last year, we went out early in the league and were eliminated in the first round. This year, winning MLS was one of our main objectives.

“The team made a huge effort – it was a very long year, with many matches and we were up to the task all season. This is the moment I had been waiting for, and that we, as a team, were waiting for. It’s very beautiful for all of us. They deserved it.”

MLS Cup magic

His team certainly contributed. Tadeo Allende’s cross in the eighth minute was deflected in for an own goal, and Messi set up Rodrigo De Paul for a critical 71st-minute strike that put Miami back in the lead after Ali Ahmed’s equalizer at the hour mark. Allende got a goal of his own in the 96th minute to start the celebrations.

But Messi deserved it, too. The Landon Donovan MLS MVP finalist is expected to repeat as the league’s best player after winning the award last year. He tallied 29 goals and 19 assists in the regular season, and then 15 goal contributions in the playoffs (6g/9a), the most of any MLS player in the league’s history.

Yet, it was not Messi's goal contributions that drew his manager’s attention the most. It was his defensive effort, tracking back to pick midfielders’ pockets on several occasions and critically winning the ball in midfield to start the play that led to De Paul’s goal.

“He was fantastic during the whole season, with the numbers but also the commitment to the team. He was making a big effort during the last two, three, four games, pressing,” Mascherano said. “That showed us how important it was for him to win. I didn’t talk to him [about] that, but for him it was very, very special and important to win this trophy.

“He came here to win this trophy.”

Class of his own

Messi now turns his attention to 2026, when he hopes to lift more trophies with Inter Miami, this time at the club’s new Miami Freedom Park, opening in April near Miami International Airport. He's also poised to defend his title as world champion, with Argentina entering the 2026 FIFA World Cup as defending title-holders.

But two of his teammates are heading out on top, retiring as MLS Cup champions.

Left back Jordi Alba and midfielder Sergio Busquets announced this fall that they would say goodbye to the sport, and Messi was thrilled to send off his former FC Barcelona teammates in the best way possible as they start a new chapter.

“Given what they’ve been – as players, both were among the greatest in history, each in his position, with the careers they had and the titles they won – it’s wonderful that they can retire with this MLS title. I don’t think they’re fully aware yet of what they’re experiencing, of what it means to retire,” Messi said. “Today something very beautiful ends for them, something to which they dedicated their whole lives.

“Now, a new life begins for them. I wish them the very best, because they are two friends I care for deeply. I’m happy they can leave with this title.”

Looking forward

Messi and Busquets, along with Messi’s Argentine teammate Rodrigo De Paul, became the first world champions to lift MLS Cup, denying Whitecaps midfielder Thomas Müller as he pushed for the same honor.

The team will look different next season, too. Alba and Busquets will be watching as fans, and several attackers around Messi may not be in South Florida.

But with Messi continuing to push for more titles, Mascherano said that after enjoying and recharging, the team will regroup, reload and push for more trophies.

“Rest. We all need it one way or another, and there will be time to organize what’s coming,” Mascherano said. “I think this has to be a push for the club to not just win its first league but rather to go for more. I think the club has been able to take the right steps – not this year in the last several years – and we need to take advantage of that momentum for what’s to come.”

Winning trophies is, after all, why Messi came.