FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — For global soccer star Lionel Messi, Saturday’s MLS Cup championship match will represent some endings.
And, quite possibly, a new beginning.
The 38-year-old forward from Argengtina and Inter Miami CF will take on Thomas Muller — the 36-year-old German attacker is one of his longtime rivals — and the Vancouver Whitecaps for Major League Soccer’s 2025 title. It’s the first final for both clubs, which means MLS is about to have a first-time champion.
“We know it’s going to be a very, very tough game. … It’s going to be a very, very special final,” Messi said in remarks distributed by the team Thursday.
Yet it’s the end of a couple eras for Messi. It’s the last match planned at Miami’s current home in Fort Lauderdale, with the team set to move next season into a stadium that’s being built near Miami International Airport next season. And barring some serious changes of heart, it will be the last time he gets to play with longtime teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets — they’re both retiring after Saturday — and possibly Luis Suarez as well.