Mascherano Left Stunned by Messi's Magical Performance in Inter Miami's Historic Triumph
Lionel Messi spearheaded Inter Miami's historic first FIFA Club World Cup triumph with an exceptional display that left even Javier Mascherano amazed.
Following Inter Miami's disappointing opening to the 2025 campaign, the Herons finally claimed a memorable victory under their new manager Mascherano. The 2024 Supporters' Shield champions overcame Porto 2–1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, capturing their inaugural triumph in this summer's FIFA Club World Cup.
The victory brought with it some extraordinary history that appears to accompany Messi wherever he competes. Inter Miami became the inaugural MLS franchise to ever overcome a European club in official competition. David Beckham's organization was also the first North American team to claim victory in the newly restructured tournament.
It's undeniable that Inter Miami wouldn't have created history in Atlanta without Messi, who netted a spectacular free kick to seal the Herons' second-half resurgence.
Following the encounter, Mascherano praised the excellence and guidance of the eight-time Ballon d'Or champion.
"Apart from the goal, Leo is the player who directs us in our competitive approach. His determination, his tenacity, his ambition to keep competing at every level guides us and demonstrates where we must head," Mascherano stated.
"Then, from a [soccer] standpoint, we can declare he's the greatest player to have ever participated in this sport, but his drive to succeed is astonishing, because [against Porto], even in the closing moments, exhausted and hurt, he kept assisting the team achieve the outcome. We must embrace that and understand that having him provides us an edge, and we must capture his mentality."
Messi completed 90 minutes against Porto merely five days following his 90-minute performance in Inter Miami's scoreless stalemate with Al Ahly. The 37-year-old has now accumulated 21 goal contributions in 22 matches across all tournaments this season and demonstrates no indication of declining.
Indeed, if Messi's display against Porto serves as any measure, the Argentine is practically single-handedly propelling his team to the FIFA Club World Cup round of 16. Inter Miami can guarantee their position in the elimination phase with a victory or tie against Palmeiras on Monday, June 23.
"We remain active in the tournament and we're going to contest our third fixture with an opportunity of advancing to the Club World Cup," Mascherano remarked. "We haven't accomplished anything yet, so we must attempt to recover, and we'll commit everything on Monday to try to advance."