This is now my third column piece and it feels impossible to talk about Major League Soccer any further without mentioning the greatest player to ever play the game: Lionel Messi.
Known for his magical moments with Spanish giant FC Barcelona, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner joined the MLS side Inter Miami CF in the summer of 2023 and signed a Designated Player deal with the club. This historic move was a dream come true, not only for soccer in the United States, but also for co-owner David Beckham, who had always viewed Messi as the centerpiece of the club’s long-term project. As a part of his deal to join Miami, Messi received insane perks, which included a revenue share of Apple TV subscriptions and Adidas partnerships.
Messi has made an immediate impact in North American soccer. On his debut, in front of a packed house in South Florida, he came off the bench and scored a last-minute free kick against Cruz Azul to send Inter Miami through in the Leagues Cup, a yearly tournament that combines teams from MLS and Mexico’s top-flight Liga MX. Led by Messi, Inter Miami went on to win the tournament, defeating Nashville SC in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in the final.
Nearly three years since this league-altering move, Messi continues to almost sell out every single stadium he goes to. In doing so, fans across the United States have been able to watch Messi collect even more accolades to add to his illustrious trophy cabinet, including the 2024 Supporter’s Shield and the 2025 MLS Cup with Inter Miami. Perhaps most notably, Messi became the first player in MLS history to win back-to-back MVPs, winning them in 2024 and 2025.
Yet it was not just Messi’s all-around magic that turned Inter Miami from a struggling side into one of the league’s best in a couple of years. An underrated aspect of Messi’s arrival has been his ability to recruit players, whom the front office must find a way to register under MLS roster rules and regulations.
First came his friends. Barcelona legends Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez all followed Messi to Miami. At the end of 2025, Alba and Busquets retired, allowing Inter Miami to bring Argentine Rodrigo de Paul to Miami as Busquets’ replacement. Thirty-nine-year-old goalkeeper Óscar Ustari, also from Argentina, joined Messi for a little over a year before his contract was terminated.
Messi’s impact, however, extends way beyond his personal relationships. Players seem to simply want to play with Messi, and that has become a big factor in Miami’s ability to sign so many big-name superstars. This past offseason, 2025 Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair, 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year; Micael dos Santos Silva and former Portland Timbers midfielder David Ayala all decided to leave their respective clubs to join Inter Miami. You have to think that the thought of playing with Messi was a huge factor in their decisions.
The result of Messi’s influence is that Inter Miami’s squad looks extremely different from those of the rest of the league. The majority of Inter Miami’s squad and coaching staff are from South America and there are only a few American players on the active roster, most of whom are homegrowns. In an American league, this roster-building technique raises serious questions about what Inter Miami will look like in a post-Messi era — but that is a story for another time.
It is crystal clear that Messi calls the shots for Inter Miami, both on and off the pitch. Wherever he goes, he wants and expects to win, and if the results are not great you can bet that there will be changes. Recently, Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano decided to step down after a fairly impressive 38–14–15 in 67 matches across all competitions. Reports indicated that Mascherano was unhappy with the front office’s decisions to spend a lot of money to bring in guys that did not fit his style of play, like Rodrigo de Paul and Mexican international striker Germán Berterame, a $15 million signing who has had a slow start to the season. Others believe that the Concacaf Champions Cup exit in the Round of 16 to Nashville SC, which was Inter Miami’s primary continental focus, was the last straw for Mascherano.
Despite the frustrating results as of late, we are still talking about a Messi-led side. Therefore, there is optimism that Inter Miami will return to winning ways. Inter Miami recently opened their brand-new soccer-specific venue, Nu Stadium, where they will play the rest of their home matches. Inside the stadium, Inter Miami unveiled the Leo Messi Stand, a fitting honor for the GOAT of this sport. Ultimately, 2026 will be another year that Inter Miami competes for trophies within MLS, love them or hate them, and with the GOAT on their side, anything is possible.
