On the evening of 16 September at the new Nu Stadium in Miami, the 39-year-old Lionel Messi headed in the opening goal in the Campeones Cup final against Mexico's Cruz Azul — and that ball became his hundredth in an Inter Miami shirt.
In his 115th game, the Argentine did not merely repeat a familiar trick but confirmed that even after leaving the Argentina national team his influence on the club remains absolute. Inter Miami won 2:0, the second goal in the 81th minute was scored by Casemiro from a corner taken by Messi, and the team claimed this trophy for the first time in its history, ending a three-year run of victories by Mexican clubs.
In three and a half years in MLS, Messi has already brought the club four titles: the Leagues Cup in 2023, the Supporters' Shield in 2024, the MLS Cup in 2025 and now the Campeones Cup. Each of them is not merely an award but proof that a single player can reshape the economics and the psychology of an entire franchise.
It is especially symbolic that the hundredth goal came precisely against Cruz Azul — the very club against which Messi scored his first goal for Miami in 2023 on the 90+ minute from a free kick. Back then it was a debut, now it is a mature summation. A header, rare for him, only underscores that even at 39 he finds new ways to decide matches.
Casemiro, who arrived in the summer from Manchester United, has already scored four goals in his last five matches — all with his head. His arrival and his synchrony with Messi show how the club continues to strengthen without losing its focus on the Argentine. The new coach Cristian "Kili" González got an ideal debut.
This goal is not just a personal statistic. It is a reminder that in an era when football increasingly depends on systems and money, one man with the ball at his feet can still rewrite the rules. For Inter Miami and the whole of MLS, it is a signal that the legend continues to work for the league's future.
