Scouting Lionel Messi: The GOAT's capabilities entering the Club World Cup

New York Times

14 hours ago

When Cristiano Ronaldo scored Spain's second-half equalizer in the UEFA Nations League final in Munich, the ongoing, or perhaps dreaded, GOAT debate was rekindled in group chats, newsrooms and on social media.
At 40, Ronaldo produced another game-changing moment on the international stage. The close-range finish led to a trophy for a Portugal team that isn't reliant on the former Real Madrid striker, but still looks to its aging star for inspiration.
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It probably caused many of his fans to ask proudly, 'What has Messi been up to lately?' It's a good question to answer for fans who don't follow MLS or for Messi loyalists who may have jumped off the Argentine's bandwagon when he left European football.
The better question, though, is: what kind of player has Messi become? He'll turn 38 on June 24, a reminder that the game is moving past the Argentine great before our eyes. Yet, Messi, who won his eighth Ballon d'Or in 2023 after leading Argentina to the World Cup title in Qatar a year prior, can still get fans off their seats. The Club World Cup will allow viewers from around the world to judge for themselves.
Messi continues to play for Argentina, albeit in a reduced role – not as a substitute, but as an icon on a very good side who, like Ronaldo, cannot seem to step away from his national team. Argentina has gotten faster and younger in the attack. It's a more dynamic side when Messi isn't fit to play. In other words, the defending world champions are doing just fine. They are no longer Messi-dependent.
That was apparent on Tuesday night in Buenos Aires, when Argentina hosted Colombia in a 2026 World Cup qualifier. Messi had his moments, but he was contained by a Colombian team that surrounded him any time he was inside Colombia's defensive third. Messi dropped back as a deep-lying playmaker in the second half and was more effective, splitting the Colombia backline with precise passing.
But in the 78th minute, with Argentina trailing 1-0 and playing with 10 men, Messi, incredibly, asked to be subbed off. Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni told reporters after the match, which finished 1-1, that Messi preferred to come off rather than see Scaloni take off young playmaker Thiago Almada. Three minutes later, Almada scored Argentina's equalizer. Perhaps the torch was passed at that very moment.
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Inter Miami, however, is absolutely reliant on its superstar. Messi is Miami's cerebral engine and most dangerous goal threat. He is without a doubt the leading authority figure at the club. Messi has hand-picked players, namely his former Barcelona teammates Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. His opinions on player personnel are heard routinely by the club's decision makers.
When Gerardo Martino resigned abruptly last November due to personal reasons (and after Miami was eliminated in the first round of the MLS playoffs), Messi recommended the club hire his close friend Javier Mascherano. Messi has a say in virtually all sporting aspects, and many commercial decisions, at the club.
After nearly two years in the U.S., stories of Messi's influence in Miami are not surprising – nor should the fact that Messi has changed his style of play in his late 30s.
'I've had the privilege of watching (Messi's) evolution, first as that player who started as a forward and surprised all of us with his one-versus-one skills,' Mascherano told The Athletic in December. 'Leo has turned into a complete player who plays all over the field. When you have a player like that, the most important thing is to give him the freedom to move where he believes the team needs him and for his teammates to understand his movements.'
His famous first-step burst as a Barcelona player, which left defenders swinging and missing on both flanks, hasn't been remastered, but rather repurposed. He now draws defenders close and jabs to his left to create enough space to thread a pass or create his own shot.
Body feints are still part of Messi's late-career repertoire, as well. Messi is still highly respected by his foes on match day. He doesn't freeze defenders with a feint as often as he used to, but opposing players still have memories of a younger Messi etched in their brains.
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Younger MLS defenders, however, are a new challenge for the Argentine. Messi is still quick, not as quick as before, but enough to gain advantages in possession. Yet, Messi has the ball poked away far more often than when he was truly elite. Some of the passes that he executed through pure muscle memory in the past don't come off as planned, either.
Messi still walks and scans the pitch, although in MLS, where games are replete with transition moments and open play, it's not rare to see him pacing slowly to simply to catch his breath.
All of that being said, Messi has scored 32 goals and added 23 assists since joining Miami in the summer of 2023. He is still scoring his trademark goal where secures the ball on his left foot around the penalty area and effortlessly picks out the bottom corner to the goalkeeper's right. Messi has scored volleys, half-volleys, soft chips, close-range headers, and several game-winners as an MLS player.
In a March win over Atlanta United on artificial turf, Messi took the ball from Atlanta defensive midfielder Bartosz Slisz near Atlanta's 18, faked a shot with his left that sent another defender sliding out of the picture, then deftly chipped Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan for a classic Messi goal. After the match, Mascherano, who was Messi's Argentina teammate for over a decade, was still in awe.
'The goal that Leo scored can only be done by the best player in the history of this sport,' Mascherano said. 'There's nothing else to say. He's a player who has the ability to score some of the most beautiful goals that you'll ever see.'
Messi has excelled in the sub-zero temperatures of the Midwest and in South Florida's heat and humidity. Messi still hasn't scored an olímpico and he hasn't replicated the 2019 Champions League free kick that beat Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson at Camp Nou. He can, however, still strike a dead ball with cunning accuracy. His runs to beat a backline now occur much closer to the opposing team's penalty area. Messi can play as a deep-lying No. 10, but it's near the goal where he is most effective.
Martino would often say that in order to benefit from Messi's skills today, Miami had to feed him the ball in the attacking half spaces. Seems simple enough, but when everything goes through Messi, the players around tend to pass, watch and admire. The joke when Messi came to MLS was that he would spend his time in the U.S. sipping rum on Miami beach.
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Messi is fully removed from the rigors of European football, but anyone who hasn't seen Miami play will realize during the Club World Cup that Messi has taken on a massive challenge — one that could ultimately blow up in his face against much better opposition. Miami has not added any new players ahead of the tournament.
Both Mascherano and Busquets have said publicly that Miami is not equipped to compete in a 32-team international competition. Messi is used to carrying teams on his back. He did so in Qatar, when most felt that he was already past it. But Argentina's XI is among the best in the world, a far cry from what Miami has built since becoming a professional club in 2020.
There is still magic left in Messi, but there's only so much that he can do with a supporting cast that is so limited. Messi will likely join a very strong Argentina side at the 2026 World Cup, with a chance to win two consecutive titles. So in that sense, the Club World Cup could be one final opportunity for Messi to defy the odds in a major tournament. One thing is certain: the Club World Cup will be a reality check for Miami, Messi and their respective brands.