Messi wins hearts and trophies as the most decorated player in history keeps winning

Lionel Messi stands alone as the most decorated player the sport has ever seen. He lifted his forty-seventh trophy as Inter Miami crushed NYCFC 5-1 in the Eastern Conference final. He is born to play the beautiful game. He wins hearts. He wins football matches. He wins trophies. He brings real joy to people all around the world who love this sport. Thank you for existing, Leo.

However, Allende stole the spotlight with a hat trick and the MVP award, yet everyone knows who carried this team through the entire playoff run. Messi has already produced record equalling eleven goal contributions in these playoffs, on top of winning the Golden Boot during the regular season.

Allende shines

Meanwhile, Tadeo Allende has scored eight goals, matching former LA Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz for the single season playoff record. His form has been spectacular, but he has not been alone. Jordi Alba, playing his penultimate match before retirement, delivered a performance full of heart and experience. It looked like a man giving everything he had left.

Macherano’s tactical switch that changed their season

A key part of this run has been the tactical switch introduced by Macherano during the playoffs. He placed Messi as a false nine and surrounded him with the pace and energy of Allende and Silvetti. This change came after Suarez was banned and it transformed the team. Messi became the creator and the connector, while the younger runners stretched the lines and punished tired defenders. It has been one of the smartest calls of the season and the results prove it.

From bottom of the table to the brink of the MLS Cup

Messi is thirty eight but still delivers like a man half his age. This is his third trophy with Inter Miami and they now march towards the MLS Cup final against the Vancouver Whitecaps, Thomas Mullers team. It feels almost unreal to remember where this club stood the day Messi arrived. They were bottom of the Eastern Conference and completely lost. Today they are one win away from lifting the MLS Cup. That is the effect of a player born to win, a player who does not just play the beautiful game but bends it towards silverware. He not only wins hearts but also wins trophies.

The hunger of a champion who never stops winning

He has conquered everything there is to conquer in football, yet the fire inside him still burns with the same hunger. Even at thirty eight his desire to push, to create, to inspire and to win refuses to fade. He also broke the all time assist record, moving past Ferenc Puskas to become the greatest creator the game has ever seen. He also has eight hundred and ninety six goals along with four hundred and five assists. These are not normal stats.

Messi's celebration with loved ones

The scenes after full time said everything. Messi celebrated with the fans, with his mother, with his wife, smiling like a boy who had just lifted his very first trophy rather than number forty seven.