On July 15, Inter Miami lived an unforgettable day with the official announcement of the signing of Leo Messi. However, a few hours later he returned to his terrible football reality, losing 3-0 against St. Louis City, which was his eleventh consecutive game without a win in the league (eight losses and three draws).

At the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference, the team in pink poured all their enthusiasm into Messi, the arrival of his former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba and what Gerardo can contribute from the bench dad Martino.

But not even the biggest optimists, dreamers or delusions in Miami could have imagined that just over a month later, the team from Florida would lift the first trophy in its history, culminating in an incredible metamorphosis with seven wins in seven League Cup games.

Led by the irresistible Messi, with inexhaustible ambitions and who never came to the US for vacation or early retirement, Inter Miami won the League Cup this Saturday by defeating Nashville in the final on penalties after an extremely exciting game (1-1). , 9-10 in the shootout).

The Rosario genius, named the best player in the League Cup, was the tournament’s top scorer with an astonishing record of ten goals in seven games, including some precious and beautiful goals within an already impressive catalog of 10 for the Albiceleste.

Very happy in Miami and fully adjusted to his new life, Messi not only brought the team owned by David Beckham together with the Mas brothers the first title, but also sealed his 44th trophy in the process, tying him with Dani Alves for the most football player with the most cups in history.

If it weren’t for the fact that writers in the US have been on strike for months against the giants of film and television, one might think that Messi’s adventure at Inter Miami was written like a Hollywood movie.

It seems incredible, but not even a month has passed since that unforgettable July 21 when Messi first stepped onto the pitch of the DRV PNK stadium in the pink jersey of Inter Miami.

That day, along with many celebrities and stars in the stands (LeBron James, Serena Williams, Kim Kardashian, Becky G, Gloria Estefan…) the Argentine entered as a substitute in the second half.

Naturally, his appearance on the field would be the star moment of the evening, but Messi scored a delicious free kick in the 94th minute to give Inter Miami a 2-1 win over Cruz Azul.

Already while ‘Messimania’ vibrates in every corner of Miami (and a good part of the country), the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner dedicated himself to chaining doubles until his team did not stop growing and winning.

So it took Messi just 22 minutes to score two goals against his compatriot Thiago Almada’s Atlanta United, who were eventually beaten 4-0.

Messi’s magic infected the entire team in an incredible way, so much so that players who used to roam the green without shame or glory suddenly found themselves capable of anything. There, for example, the Finnish Robert Taylor and the Venezuelan Josef Martínez stood out, well lubricated in the attack led by Messi, or young talents such as the American of Argentine origin Benjamin Cremaschi.

However, the backbone of this Inter Miami champion was Alba -who made his debut in the knockout round-, Busquets -who also made his debut against Cruz Azul- and Messi.

With two new goals from their star, Inter Miami won 3-1 in the Florida derby of the round of 16 against Orlando City, whose coach, Colombian Óscar Pareja, assured that Messi should have been sent off.

Even more difficult was their duel against Dallas, a match in which Inter Miami walked on one leg and blindfolded over the very edge of the precipice.

Trailing 4-2 in the 80th minute against a Dallas side led by Argentinian Alan Velasco, Inter Miami were saved from elimination thanks to a Marco Farfán own goal and another great free kick from Messi, his second of the night.

Even with the final 4-4, Inter Miami got a ticket to the quarterfinals from the penalty shootout in a miraculous outcome (3-5).

After so much fear, their quarterfinal matches against Charlotte (4-0) and semifinal against the Philadelphia Union (1-4) were much calmer.

But along the way, Messi and Inter Miami continued to score, as the Argentine scored the longest goal of his career (more than 32 meters) in Philadelphia as his team devastated the Philadelphia Union’s Subaru Park, one of the theoretically impregnable grounds in MLS, with a crushing 0-3 at half time.

There was only one hurdle to overcome – at home – for glory: Hany Mukhtar’s Nashville (MLS MVP and top scorer in 2022).

Messi scored in the final with a stunning first-half strike, but Nashville equalized in the second half on a Drake Callender own goal off a multi-jump corner kick.

With chances for both teams at the end and penalties finally as referees, the title might as well have gone to the team from the capital Earth. But fate seemed to be written and nothing stood in the way of Messi’s, so far, perfect story in Miami. (D)