Inter Miami took a giant leap toward MLS success under Lionel Messi at the helm. The team secured its first Eastern Conference title on Saturday, crushing New York City 5-1. Fans on social media have been quick to claim that Messi won the 47th trophy of his career, but that is not officially accurate.
FIFA does not recognize the MLS Eastern Conference Championship as an official title, which means Messi’s official count remains at 46 career trophies. Should Miami go on to win the MLS Cup final, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will secure his 47th. Nonetheless, this milestone marks a historic achievement for both the club and the players, as it is their first title in this competition.
Messi Sets Record with 405th Assist
Despite not scoring, Messi still made history. Tadeo Allende scored a hat-trick for Miami at Chase Stadium, with the first two goals assisted by Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. Messi’s precise setup for Mateo Silvetti in the 67th minute marked his 405th career assist for club and country, surpassing legendary Hungarian forward Ferenc Puskas (404). At 38, Lionel has now scored 896 goals.
“𝑳𝒆𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑴𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒊 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝑱𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒐. “𝑯𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒚, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏. 𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒈𝒐𝒂𝒍 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅.”
Inter Miami Eyes MLS Cup Final
With this victory, Inter Miami has set up a showdown in the MLS Cup final, where they will face the winner of the Western Conference final between San Diego FC and Vancouver Whitecaps. Lionel’s influence on the team continues to redefine Miami’s rise in American football, combining record-breaking stats with historic club success.
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