Lionel Messi Shines Again with 100th Goal and Campeones Cup Win
Lionel Messi had already decided the night on the pitch. Then the drama moved to the touchline.
The Inter Miami star, fresh off delivering another trophy with a 2-0 win over Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup on Wednesday, appeared to engage in a tense postgame exchange with MLS commissioner Don Garber.
According to the Associated Press, Messi repeatedly pointed at Garber while the two spoke after the final whistle. The forward gestured toward the commissioner, walked away, then later returned and was again seen pointing as they continued their interaction. Inter Miami and MLS both declined to comment on what was said.
Whatever the subject, Messi had already done his talking with the ball.
Messi hits 100, then turns provider
Under the lights, the 37-year-old delivered another landmark moment in pink. He opened the scoring in the first half, netting his 100th career goal for Inter Miami and tilting the final firmly in his team’s favor.
Cruz Azul never really recovered.
Messi then shifted from finisher to creator after the break. With the Mexican side chasing the game, he found space and whipped in a precise cross to Casemiro, whose header doubled the lead and gave Miami the cushion it wanted. One swing of the left foot, one commanding header, and the Campeones Cup was effectively sealed.
For Messi and Inter Miami, this was no one-off. It was the latest addition to a growing collection.
A club getting used to silverware
Since Messi’s arrival, Miami’s trophy cabinet has filled quickly. The club lifted the Leagues Cup in 2023, followed it with the Supporters’ Shield in 2024, and then captured the MLS Cup in 2025. Now comes the Campeones Cup, another line on a résumé that looked unthinkable for the expansion side just a few years ago.
The pattern is clear: when there’s a final to be played, Messi is usually at the heart of it.
And this season, there’s every chance that continues.
Another run at MLS Cup?
Inter Miami sit second in the Eastern Conference with 45 points, nine behind leaders Nashville SC in the race for the No. 1 seed. A postseason collision between those two clubs in the Eastern Conference Final would surprise no one, given the way both have imposed themselves on the conference.
If that matchup comes, it will carry all the weight you’d expect: Nashville chasing top-dog status, Miami defending its aura as the league’s new power.
And in a playoff setting, with elimination on the line, one reality still looms over the rest of MLS: as long as Lionel Messi is on the field, every knockout game feels like his to decide.
