Messi hails Inter Miami’s fine form ahead of the MLS final | OneFootball

The Argentine star Lionel Messi highlighted the great moment being experienced by Inter Miami on the eve of its first MLS final, in which they will face the Vancouver Whitecaps, led on the field by German midfielder Thomas Muller, on Saturday.

In its sixth season, the Florida club will compete for its first North American league title, largely thanks to the seemingly inexhaustible talent of the 38-year-old star.

“It comes at a good time because we are reaching a great moment. The team is solid, confident, and excited, and playing at home is definitely an advantage,” said the captain in an interview with ESPN released this Thursday.

“We have always made a difference at home, we’ve become strong, and we need to take advantage of that,” added the Argentine, referring to the advantage of playing at Chase Stadium, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Messi will seek his first MLS title with Inter Miami, the club he joined in mid-2023 after finishing as the top scorer of the regular season with 29 goals in 28 games and shining in the playoffs with six goals in five matches.

“I’m competitive, I like to win, to try. We’ve already had bad phases, difficult moments, but we always tried, we picked ourselves up, and we’re always looking for the best,” he said.

Guaranteed for the 2026 World Cup?

The final between Inter Miami and Vancouver Whitecaps will be held one day after the draw, in Washington, for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Messi did not guarantee his presence at the biggest football tournament, in which Argentina will defend the title won in 2022, in Qatar.

“I’ll take it one day at a time, being honest and trying to be realistic and feel good. This year I felt very good (…) The league (MLS) is very physical, and the opponents have grown a lot,” he said.

The star said he is in constant contact with the coach of the Argentine national team, Lionel Scaloni, about his participation in the World Cup.

“He always tells me he would like me to be there, wherever I am. We have a relationship of great trust and we can talk about everything,” he stated. “In the last ones, I’ll be watching (the World Cup) live.”

With or without him, he considered that the world champions will fight to win their fourth world title and that they have several advantages, including Scaloni’s good management and the discovery of new talented players.

“This is a moment that Argentina needs to take advantage of. The truth is that, after a World Cup victory, you gain a lot of confidence, a sense of relief that allows you to work and prepare for competitions differently,” said the star.

“It’s a group that will try again, that will give everything, that will fight. But sometimes, small details can make things difficult. A World Cup is very hard. Any team can give you trouble,” he pointed out.

Messi’s advantage

If he plays in the World Cup, which will be held in the middle of next year, Messi believes he will have the advantage of arriving with fewer games played than the players who play for European clubs.

The players who play in Europe will arrive in North America at the end of their club seasons, while Messi will be in the middle of the MLS season.

This situation could also benefit him if he is part of the Argentine national team that will face Spain in the Finalissima, which pits the champions of America and Europe against each other.

The match will be played in March, on neutral ground, according to a recent statement by Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez.

“Doing a pre-season [with Inter Miami] in the meantime will help me a lot, personally, because the European players will already have played many matches,” he said.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.