Video above: High School football semifinals scores and highlights | Dec. 5Lionel Messi’s legacy was long secured when he came to Inter Miami and joined Major League Soccer. He’d won a World Cup, won dozens of trophies, was generally considered the greatest player in the sport’s history.He didn’t need an MLS Cup.But he wanted one — and got it.Messi and Inter Miami have completed their ascent, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on Saturday in the MLS Cup final for the franchise’s first championship. It came 2 1/2 years after the legend arrived in South Florida, a move that stunned plenty of onlookers at the time.He led the team to a Leagues Cup trophy in 2023, the MLS Supporters’ Shield last year before a first-round playoff loss — and now, they grabbed MLS’ biggest prize.“Last year we went out early in the league and were eliminated in the first round,” Messi said in Spanish afterward. “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.”The latest: Sports coverage from WPBF 25 NewsMessi set up the title-clinching goal with a 72nd-minute assist to Rodrigo De Paul, a play where Messi stole the ball and threaded a pass through a tiny gap in a wall of Vancouver defenders. De Paul got it in stride, pushed it into the far corner of the net — and Messi went airborne to hop into his arms a few seconds later, all smiles.And as the final minutes ticked away, Inter Miami’s pink-clad fans — most wearing Messi’s No. 10 on their backs — stood and stomped and cheered. South Florida has seen NFL and NBA and Major League Baseball and NHL titles in the past.It’s a soccer town now, too. Messi made that happen. Tadeo Allende scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time — off another Messi assist, of course — to make it 3-1. And when Messi lifted the trophy surrounded by his teammates, confetti rained down and fireworks boomed.“This was the dream,” Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said. “A spectacular day.”Inter Miami became the 16th franchise in the league’s 30-year history to win an MLS title. And this extends a run of parity for MLS, which has seen five different franchises win championships in the last five years and eight franchises claim a title in the last nine seasons — only Columbus has won twice in that span.“They said soccer would never make it in America,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said during the trophy ceremony. “Inter Miami fans, has soccer made it?”It has, and the moment is also the culmination of a 12-year odyssey for David Beckham, part of Inter Miami’s ownership group.He retired as a player in 2013 and his MLS contract said he could start a franchise at a discounted rate when his career ended. Beckham chose Miami and it took him years to finally make it happen; it wasn’t until January 2018 when the franchise was formally born, after he partnered with Miami businessmen Jorge Mas and Jose Mas, and even then the team didn’t have a stadium plan.The team started play in 2020, and Messi arrived halfway through the 2023 season. Inter Miami was in last place in MLS at the time.Get the latest sports updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.And then Messi arrived. The last-place team then now runs the league.“It’s been an incredible journey,” Beckham said.The trophy is Messi’s 47th for club and country, extending his global men’s soccer record, and some say it’s actually 48 because MLS awards a trophy for winning conference titles as well. He’s now won at least 21 titles in one-match final situations, many of them with the core of this team — Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Javier Mascherano, his longtime Barcelona teammates.Busquets and Alba are retiring and got to go out as champions. Suarez’s future is uncertain. Mascherano is the coach now, one who changed Inter Miami’s lineup and tactics halfway through the season — his first one leading the club — with this moment in mind.And the 38-year-old Messi, the 2024 MLS MVP who seems like a lock to win the award again this season, still is like none other in the biggest moments with a contract that could have him playing with Miami into his early 40s. When next season starts, the team will be playing in a new stadium near Miami International Airport with a back-to-back title in mind.“He’s not just here to enjoy living in Miami,” Beckham said. “His wife and the kids love Miami, but he’s come here to win, and that’s really what Leo is all about. He wants to win. He’s got that dedication, the loyalty that he shows to his teammates, to the city, to the club. Leo is a winner. It’s simple as that.”Inter Miami went up 1-0 on an own goal in the eighth minute, before Vancouver tied it in the 60th on a score by Ali Ahmed. Another Vancouver shot hit both posts about two minutes later but stayed out, a huge moment.“It was very close and I think it could have been different,” Vancouver coach Jesper Sorensen said. “But that is football.”Said Mascherano: “Maybe that was the luck we needed to be champions.”Not long after the final whistle, Messi went over to the Inter Miami supporters section and threw both his hands in the air. It was a moment 2 1/2 years in the making. The team stayed on the field for more than an hour afterward, taking pictures with friends and family.“This is the moment I had been waiting for, and that we, as a team, were waiting for,” Messi said. “It’s very beautiful for all of us. They deserved it.”
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. —
Video above: High School football semifinals scores and highlights | Dec. 5
Lionel Messi’s legacy was long secured when he came to Inter Miami and joined Major League Soccer. He’d won a World Cup, won dozens of trophies, was generally considered the greatest player in the sport’s history.
He didn’t need an MLS Cup.
But he wanted one — and got it.
Getty ImagesIcon Sportswire
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL – DECEMBER 06: Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) and the rest of the Inter Miami team celebrate with the MLS cup following the 2025 MLS Cup Finals between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Inter Miami CF on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL. (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Messi and Inter Miami have completed their ascent, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on Saturday in the MLS Cup final for the franchise’s first championship. It came 2 1/2 years after the legend arrived in South Florida, a move that stunned plenty of onlookers at the time.
Getty ImagesIcon Sportswire
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL – DECEMBER 06: Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10), and team owners Jose Mas, Jorge Mas and David Beckham celebrate with the MLS cup following the 2025 MLS Cup Finals between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Inter Miami CF on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL. (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
He led the team to a Leagues Cup trophy in 2023, the MLS Supporters’ Shield last year before a first-round playoff loss — and now, they grabbed MLS’ biggest prize.
Getty ImagesMichael Pimentel/ISI Photos
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 06: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF celebrate with his teammates for group photos with MLS Cup trophy after defeating Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium on December 6, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Michael Pimentel/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
“Last year we went out early in the league and were eliminated in the first round,” Messi said in Spanish afterward. “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.”
Getty ImagesMichael Pimentel/ISI Photos
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 06: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF controls the ball away from Sebastian Berhalter #16 of Vancouver Whitecaps FC during the game at Chase Stadium on December 6, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Michael Pimentel/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
The latest: Sports coverage from WPBF 25 News
Messi set up the title-clinching goal with a 72nd-minute assist to Rodrigo De Paul, a play where Messi stole the ball and threaded a pass through a tiny gap in a wall of Vancouver defenders. De Paul got it in stride, pushed it into the far corner of the net — and Messi went airborne to hop into his arms a few seconds later, all smiles.
Getty ImagesElsa
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 06: Jorge Mas, co-owner of Inter Miami CF, celebrates after winning the Championship following the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Final match between Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
And as the final minutes ticked away, Inter Miami’s pink-clad fans — most wearing Messi’s No. 10 on their backs — stood and stomped and cheered. South Florida has seen NFL and NBA and Major League Baseball and NHL titles in the past.
Getty ImagesElsa
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 06: Javier Mascherano, Head Coach of Inter Miami CF, celebrates winning the Championship after the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Final match between Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
It’s a soccer town now, too. Messi made that happen. Tadeo Allende scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time — off another Messi assist, of course — to make it 3-1. And when Messi lifted the trophy surrounded by his teammates, confetti rained down and fireworks boomed.
Getty ImagesElsa
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 06: Sir David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami CF, reacts after winning the Championship following the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Final match between Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
“This was the dream,” Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said. “A spectacular day.”
Getty ImagesEston Parker/ISI Photos
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 6: Tadeo Allende #21 of Inter Miami CF eyes the ball during the second half of the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Final between Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps at Chase Stadium on December 6, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Eston Parker/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Inter Miami became the 16th franchise in the league’s 30-year history to win an MLS title. And this extends a run of parity for MLS, which has seen five different franchises win championships in the last five years and eight franchises claim a title in the last nine seasons — only Columbus has won twice in that span.
Getty ImagesIcon Sportswire
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL – DECEMBER 06: Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) and Inter Miami midfielder Rodrigo de Paul (7) celebrate a goal and 3-1 lead in the second half during the 2025 MLS Cup Finals between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Inter Miami CF on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“They said soccer would never make it in America,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said during the trophy ceremony. “Inter Miami fans, has soccer made it?”
Getty ImagesElsa
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 06: Jordi Alba #18, Luis Suárez #9 and Sergio Busquets #5 of Inter Miami CF celebrate the Championship win following the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Final match between Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
It has, and the moment is also the culmination of a 12-year odyssey for David Beckham, part of Inter Miami’s ownership group.
Getty ImagesEston Parker/ISI Photos
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 6: Players and staff of Inter Miami CF celebrate the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Final between Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps at Chase Stadium on December 6, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Eston Parker/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
He retired as a player in 2013 and his MLS contract said he could start a franchise at a discounted rate when his career ended. Beckham chose Miami and it took him years to finally make it happen; it wasn’t until January 2018 when the franchise was formally born, after he partnered with Miami businessmen Jorge Mas and Jose Mas, and even then the team didn’t have a stadium plan.
The team started play in 2020, and Messi arrived halfway through the 2023 season. Inter Miami was in last place in MLS at the time.
Get the latest sports updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
And then Messi arrived. The last-place team then now runs the league.
“It’s been an incredible journey,” Beckham said.
The trophy is Messi’s 47th for club and country, extending his global men’s soccer record, and some say it’s actually 48 because MLS awards a trophy for winning conference titles as well. He’s now won at least 21 titles in one-match final situations, many of them with the core of this team — Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Javier Mascherano, his longtime Barcelona teammates.
Getty ImagesMaddie Meyer
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 06: Sergio Busquets #5 and Jordi Alba #18 of Inter Miami CF pose with a plaque and Jorge Mas, co-owner of Inter Miami CF, after their retirement announcement following the championship win in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Final match between Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Busquets and Alba are retiring and got to go out as champions. Suarez’s future is uncertain. Mascherano is the coach now, one who changed Inter Miami’s lineup and tactics halfway through the season — his first one leading the club — with this moment in mind.
And the 38-year-old Messi, the 2024 MLS MVP who seems like a lock to win the award again this season, still is like none other in the biggest moments with a contract that could have him playing with Miami into his early 40s. When next season starts, the team will be playing in a new stadium near Miami International Airport with a back-to-back title in mind.
“He’s not just here to enjoy living in Miami,” Beckham said. “His wife and the kids love Miami, but he’s come here to win, and that’s really what Leo is all about. He wants to win. He’s got that dedication, the loyalty that he shows to his teammates, to the city, to the club. Leo is a winner. It’s simple as that.”
Inter Miami went up 1-0 on an own goal in the eighth minute, before Vancouver tied it in the 60th on a score by Ali Ahmed. Another Vancouver shot hit both posts about two minutes later but stayed out, a huge moment.
“It was very close and I think it could have been different,” Vancouver coach Jesper Sorensen said. “But that is football.”
Said Mascherano: “Maybe that was the luck we needed to be champions.”
Not long after the final whistle, Messi went over to the Inter Miami supporters section and threw both his hands in the air. It was a moment 2 1/2 years in the making. The team stayed on the field for more than an hour afterward, taking pictures with friends and family.
“This is the moment I had been waiting for, and that we, as a team, were waiting for,” Messi said. “It’s very beautiful for all of us. They deserved it.”