With less than a month to go before the revamped Fifa Club World Cup was due to kick-off on home turf, the signs were looking grim for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.
A humbling 3-0 Florida derby defeat at Chase Stadium by the Orlando Pirates left Miami without a victory in three games – wioth their leaky defence shipping 10 goals – having won just twice in their previous eight Major League Soccer matches.
Hopes of a first Concacaf Champions Cup trophy had also ended in brutal fashion as Canadian side Vancouver Whitecaps ran out comfortable 5-1 victors over two legs.
The dismal run of league form meant Javier Mascherano's side had dropped to sixth in the Western Conference and, in between lambasting MLS refereeing standards, Messi admitted Miami were stuck in a rut.
“Now we will see if we are a real team in the difficult moments because when everything is going well, it’s very easy,” said the 37-year-old Argentine great Messi.
“When the difficult moments arise, that is when we have to be more united than ever and push ahead.
“We have three or four games to end the month, and then we head into the Club World Cup.”
Fast forward three weeks and a very different picture emerged with Miami taking seven points from a possible nine and captain Messi at his majestic best, scoring five and assisting three.
A 5-1 home thumping of Columbus Crew in their final game before the Club World Cup saw a Messi masterclass. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner scored two, set up two, and played a part in the other. His overall tally of 10 goals left him joint third in the ML scoring charts.
“Whether as a teammate or now as a coach, I still enjoy everything he does on the field,” said Miami manager Mascherano, who played alongside Messi for Barcelona and Argentina.
“Admiration is seeing in someone what you wish you could do, but can’t. Our job is to create the right environment so he can shine, enjoy, and lead this team.
“He is the best player who has ever played in the history of the sport. When he doesn’t look great, it’s because one of us is failing. That’s the reality.”
Three days earlier, it has been more of the same as Miami swept aside Montreal 4-2 with Messi and his old partner in crime, Luis Suarez, ripping apart the visiting defence with two goals apiece, ending a four-game wait for three points.
“The storm ended and the sun came out, which always happens in Miami,” said a relieved Mascherano post-match. “Normally, storms in Miami pass more quickly. This one lasted a long time.”
After finishing last season with an impressive haul of 25 goals across competitions, Suarez, 38, had found the back of the net just five times so far this time round.
But in tandem with Messi, the Uruguayan rediscovered his scoring touch, following up his brace against Montreal with another strike against Columbus – which, inevitably, involved Messi in the build-up.
“Well, Leo is a player who has us so spoiled that it looks like all he does is easy to do, and at this stage of his career and the reality is it is not only his play but how he competes, it is contagious, and we all follow his lead,” Mascherano added after the Montreal win.
“As for Luis, I am very happy for him. A player who has scored so many goals over his career, I am sure it was tough and strange to go through a stretch of games without scoring. But his effort and desire were always there.”
After coming through the recent international break unscathed, Messi can turn his attentions to the expanded club tournament and return to the global stage three years after leading his country to glory at the Qatar World Cup.
Miami's Group A opener sees them facing Egyptian side Al Ahly at the Hard Rock Stadium, home of NFL side Miami Dolphins, on June 14 (June 15 at 4am UAE time) with games against Porto and Palmeiras to follow.
Their tournament spot had been secured not by lifting the MLS Cup and becoming overall champions, as LA Galaxy did, but by winning the Supporters Shield for being the best-performing side during the 2024 MLS regular season.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino had deemed that Miami's exploits had shown they were “consistently the best club on the field of play” in the US. A Messi-less Club World Cup clearly did not appeal to the powers-that-be.
Whatever questions there are about how they got there, defender Jordi Alba – the fifth member of the Barca old boys crew in Miami after Mascherano, Messi, Suarez and midfielder Sergio Busquets – is looking forward to the challenge.
“I feel the same excitement and desire as always, but I’m aware of how tough it’ll be,” the Spanish veteran told Fifa.com. “I’ve been lucky enough to play for Barcelona alongside some of the best players in the world, and I know how hard it is to compete against the top teams.
“I’m now at Inter Miami, but my love and passion for the game haven’t faded. I hope we can be serious contenders, but most importantly, that we enjoy the ride, because most of our players have never experienced this kind of tournament before.
“I may be 36 years old, but the desire is still there, and that’ll be the case until the day I decide to hang up my boots.”
