Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami status revealed as Argentine fights for awards
Lionel Messi appears in line to play for Inter Miami on Saturday as they look to maximise Decision Day to secure second place in the MLS Eastern Conference ahead of a Playoff push
Decision Day in the 2025 MLS season is approaching, and with Inter Miami battling FC Cincinnati for second and Lionel Messi closing in on what would be his first Golden Boot in the U.S., the Argentine appears set to play against Nashville SC in Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets' final regular-season game.
While many of Messi’s Miami teammates will head to Geodis Park reinvigorated after a week-long break since their 4-0 win over Atlanta United, the same cannot be said for either the 38-year-old or his Argentina teammate, Rodrigo De Paul.
Yet to confirm his plans for the 2026 season, Messi was left out of Argentina’s recent 1-0 friendly win over Venezuela at Hard Rock Stadium, although he opted to return to action the following day, scoring twice against Atlanta at Chase Stadium, before returning to international duty. In typical Messi fashion, he then went on to play the full 90 minutes in a 6-0 win over Puerto Rico on Wednesday, also at Chase Stadium.
As for De Paul, he came off the bench late in the win against Venezuela, before joining Messi for the entire game against Puerto Rico.
Ahead of Saturday’s crucial game, Miami head coach Javier Mascherano revealed that both Messi and De Paul would be training in full on Friday.
“Beyond playing on Tuesday, Messi played for us on Saturday and De Paul didn't play too many minutes against Venezuela so this wasn't an international window of too much wear,” he added, via ESPN.
“They played here so after the game they could rest, they didn't travel. Normally, when you have four days between games you can arrive with rest and in good conditions. We will be talking today after training.”
The good news continued for Miami fans, with Mascherano adding that “almost everyone is available” for their clash in Tennessee, with the exceptions of the injured Allen Obando and David Ruiz, who recently penned an extension with the club through 2028, with a further option for 2029.
Messi will be hoping to keep his remarkable run of form rolling through Nashville and into the Playoffs, having scored a brace in nine of his last 16 league appearances, leaving him on 26 goals in 27 appearances. This places him two goals ahead of LAFC’s Denis Bouanga in the Golden Boot battle, while Nashville’s Sam Surridge is on 23.
Meanwhile, Messi is also in line to finish the regular season as the MLS leader in assists, having totaled 18 thus far which puts him on par with San Diego FC’s Anders Dreyer.
Unsurprisingly, Messi’s eye-catching statistics have launched him to the top of the MVP conversation, having won the title a year ago. As far as Mascherano is concerned, Messi is undoubtedly worthy of the award.
“Even with the disadvantage of playing less games than others, it's the influence he's had on this team,” he said.
“Measuring Messi only on the statistics, which you can do, he's the best but he goes beyond the numbers. He reflects on the field the importance he has in this team, and what he does to make everyone who watches him enjoy it.”