‘Old Man’ Messi Still Can Produce Magic For MLS Champions Inter Miami

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Looking at the international soccer calendar, he is considered an “old man.”

Lionel Messi is 38 years old and is doing things that very few, if any players have accomplished in the past century of soccer, for club and country.

Attacking players aren’t supposed to be feared at that age. Those players in their late 30’s might come off the bench as second-half sparkplugs, ready to do some damage.

Messi is, by and large, a 90-minute man (plus, of course, stoppage time), and as defenders and goalkeepers in Major League Soccer have learned the hard way over the past two-plus years. They still haven’t found a way to stop this great player.

He might have lost just a little bit off his, ahem, fast ball (apologies for using an analogy from another sport), that he might not be able to perform for top European clubs. But Messi still can drive opposing players to drink and crazy with his moves, shooting and passing ability.

Uncanny passing accuracy

His penchant to find teammates with pin-point accuracy is staggering.

It seems he can bend steel with his bare feet and leap over tall defenders with a single bound, even though there is less sand in the hourglass of his career.

In other words, Lionel Messi still can impact the game, whether it is curling the ball into the net on a free kick, or spotting an open teammate on the opposite flank.

Take, for example, what he accomplished in Inter Miami CF’s 3-1 triumph over the Vancouver Whitecaps at Chase Stadium on Saturday.

It was far from his best game, but Messi doesn’t have to dominate a game every minute. He needs to dominate moments.

Three special moments

Moment No. 1: He was part of the build-up of Inter Miami’s first goal, which was an own goal, inadvertently deflected into his own net by Edier Ocampo in the eighth minute.

After the Whitecaps scored a deserved equalizer, Messi turned up the magic and turned the game on its head.

Moment No. 2 was even more impressive because Messi started the 71st-minute scoring sequence with an alert defensive play. He stripped the ball from Andres Cubas some 30 yards out. He found midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who beat goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka from eight yards for what turned into the game-winner and his first goal of the season.

Moment No. 3: Six minutes into stoppage time, Messi gave the Herons some breathing room. He chested down a Jordi Alba pass and chipped the ball to an onrushing Tadeo Allende, who headed it once and raced in on net before depositing it home for the final goal.

That championship feeling

As captain of Inter Miami, Messi was given the e Philip F. Anschutz Trophy along with team owners, which included David Beckham. And then the real celebrations began.

If there is a weakness to Messi’s game, it comes off the pitch. He rarely gives interviews and doesn’t participate in press conferences, which would help the league greatly.

During team celebrations on the field, Messi spoke with a TV commentator in Spanish.

“Three years ago, I decided to come to MLS, and today we are MLS champions,” he said through an interpreter. “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.”

What a trophy and medal haul

For the record, Messi’s trophy and medal haul is outrageous, outrageous in a good way. He has won 47 trophies over 16 competitions for club and country.

“I am very happy for him because of the season he played,” Miami head coach Javier Mascherano said. “He was fantastic with the numbers but also the commitment to the team. He was making a big effort the last two, three, four games that showed us how important it was for him to win. For him, it was very, very special and very important to win this trophy. He came here to win this trophy.”

Similar paths

In some respects, Messi’s career in the United States has mirrored the one of the late, great Pele.

The Brazilian superstar came to the states during the 1975 North American Soccer League to boost the awareness of the sport here. It wasn’t until his third year that Pele and the New York Cosmos captured the NASL title. It also was his final game as a player.

Pele sat at his locker at Providence Park in Portland with the look of a satisfied man.

“I can die now,” he said.

Of course, he didn’t, not until 2022.

Pele’s presence proved to be a big bang moment in American soccer. The youth game started to grow rapidly, helping to produce future players for the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams.

Messi? He joined Miami midway through the 2023 season and while the team had plenty of talent, it wasn’t until this season that the Argentine international was surrounded by world class talent. It also turned out to be Messi’s third year in MLS.

One big difference is that Pele did not accomplish much in Soccer Bowl 1977, in which the Cosmos defeated the Seattle Sounders, 2-1.In contrast, Messi caused all sort of mayhem, especially when it counted on Saturday.

Another big difference is that Messi is expected to return to Inter Miami CF for the 2026 season – at the age of 39. He turns that age on June 24, 2026, during the World Cup.

When we witness such soccer royalty and quality, we should savor every moment because we don’t know when the next Lionel Messi and Pele, will come along. That includes several players such as Christian Pulisic, Landon Donovan, Michelle Akers, Abby Wambach or Carli Lloyd, back home.

Brilliance in soccer, whether it is individual and team, can strike at any time.

We need to embrace it.

When Messi gets the ball, there is so much anticipation by the spectators that he is about to do something magical.

On Saturday, he made it look so easy, and he didn’t have to score a goal to help Inter Miami make some history.

Michael Lewis, who has been selected by the United Soccer Coaches as the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award, who will be honored at the organization’s convention in January. He can be followed on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @soccerwriter.