After Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in the first group stage match for both teams at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, alarm bells swept through global football. Lionel Messi was once again on the brink of international disappointment.
Despite winning the 2021 Copa América with Argentina, the pain from having lost the 2014 World Cup final against Germany, plus back-to-back Copa América final losses to Chile, still stung like an open wound. Messi had been so hurt by those defeats that after losing in penalties to Chile in 2016, (Messi missed his spot kick) he announced his retirement from the national team from inside the MetLife Stadium tunnel. Argentina lost the 2015 Copa América to Chile in penalties, as well.
“When I was inside the dressing room I felt that the national team isn’t for me, and I’ve decided to end it here,” Messi said nearly a decade ago in New Jersey. “This is very painful.”
His retirement was short-lived, but it was by then glaringly obvious that international finals had not been kind to Messi. For millions of fans and journalists around the world, the 2022 World Cup final win over France, just weeks after that stunning opening loss to Saudi Arabia, cemented Messi as the best player of all time. It was a trophy that he needed in order to match Diego Maradona’s international résumé and sit at the same imaginary table as the late Pelé. It also served to separate himself, in most eyes, from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Winning or losing the MLS Cup final on Saturday won’t do anything to change that. Messi doesn’t have to lift the MLS Cup trophy to validate anything about his career. An MLS Cup title will not add any shine to Messi’s eight Ballon d’Or trophies. An MLS Cup trophy will not replace the 2008 Olympic gold medal that Messi won in China with Argentina, either.
A win over the underdog Vancouver Whitecaps will never be mentioned in the same breath as the four UEFA Champions League titles Messi won with Barcelona. If he scores a hat trick or a wonder goal to win on Saturday, the moment will be part of an unprecedented event for MLS — a dream scenario for commissioner Don Garber.
Messi ➡️ Toto 🔥 VAMOSSSS pic.twitter.com/fvy4n3Am0L
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) November 30, 2025
But it will not hold a candle to the destiny-changing goal he scored against Mexico in Doha, or his efforts in that epic final. Messi is at the stage in his career where he could officially retire from the Argentina national team before next summer’s World Cup and his legacy as one of sports’ greatest champions would remain unaltered. But we all expect Messi to captain Argentina during the 48-team tournament in 2026, right?
If Argentina repeat as champions, will fans and casual observers point to Saturday’s result as a precursor to what would be a monumental feat for the Albiceleste? Unlikely. In spite of Messi’s unwavering commitment to Inter Miami, and his gaudy statistics since joining the club in 2023, the context that surrounds his exploits in North America remind us that the end of his career is nearing. A career that is not light on prestigious achievements.
Messi isn’t in Rosario fighting with his boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys to avoid relegation. He isn’t playing in the Copa Libertadores final on Saturday, either. Yet, win or lose versus Vancouver, the praise or scrutiny he’ll receive will be measured if not tempered. That’s because playing in America at 38 years of age is still seen as more of an adventure than a challenge.
“What he’s doing now is not football; it is a parody of football,” said Fernando Signorini, who served as Maradona’s personal physio and later held the same role with the Argentina national team. Signorini is a respected voice in Argentine football. He was a guest last week on the Radio Mitre in Argentina.
“(Messi) is caught up in an infernal record-breaking machine,” Signorini added. “I don’t know why. I’ve been to the Inter Miami stadium watching a match and it has nothing to do with… it resembles another sport.”
Signorini added that Messi should prioritize the 2026 World Cup and “control the passion he feels for football in order to strengthen his possibilities.”
During a recent interview with FDP and Telemundo broadcaster Andrés Cantor, Mauricio Pochettino, the current U.S. men’s national team head coach, was asked to describe the difference between soccer and fútbol. Messi was not the subject of this discussion, but Pochettino’s perspective on American soccer culture, while more diplomatic, echoes Signorini’s harsher point of view.
“I believe that soccer is entertainment. It’s like American football, baseball, basketball, or hockey,” Pochettino said. “I believe they are sports that are born to entertain the masses. Soccer is a way to entertain people, to create very little emotion. To create the possibility of enjoying a victory, but not dramatizing the defeat because the consequence of relegation doesn’t exist in MLS, or something that could be dramatic, when compared to football [in other countries].”
“Because when we talk about football in other countries,” Pochettino continued, “it is the drama or it is the victory—defeat is drama and victory is glory. That describes very graphically the difference between soccer and football.”
Air, power, Allende. That’s the formula. 🧪✨ pic.twitter.com/NhMdPKWG6O
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) December 3, 2025
Wag your finger at Pochettino if you wish, but he isn’t completely off the mark. Messi’s U.S. arrival has been well timed. The 2026 World Cup should shine a positive light on MLS, and if Messi and Argentina perform at a high level, the league, and Inter Miami, will surely capitalize on the attention. Now, if Messi looks physically outmatched next summer, many will see his three seasons in MLS as the reason.
Which leads us to another version of this story. One where Messi cannot risk losing on Saturday. A loss wouldn’t dent his pristine trophy case, but it could ding his reputation. Messi, and Ronaldo, operate within the thinnest of margins when it comes to their performances on match day. They have to be great. For as long as Messi is Inter Miami’s captain, the club will be expected to win MLS Cup every year. Last year’s Inter Miami team broke the MLS regular season points record but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Atlanta United.
In 2025, Inter Miami has ebbed and flowed, but right now it is the closest thing there is to an MLS juggernaut. Inter Miami is a heavy favorite against Vancouver. They’re also a club that has learned how to bend MLS rules in order to field a starting XI with Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Rodrigo De Paul. Messi still gets preferential treatment from some MLS referees, something opposing fans, players and coaches harp about.
Messi has lost over a dozen finals in his career. The latest was a 3-0 defeat to the Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup final on August 31. It was a bad loss but winning the MLS Cup final remains Inter Miami’s main priority. Even though an MLS trophy will never carry the same weight as a Champions League winner’s medal, for a player like Messi who is in the twilight of his career, sometimes the last title is the most special one of all.
If he cannot take his new club to the MLS promised land for a second consecutive year, all fingers will point at Messi. But fear not. A loss on Saturday to Vancouver won’t lead to Messi’s abrupt retirement announcement. After all, he’s already won everything there is to win.