Lionel Messi remains the “greatest” showman and “will do the impossible” in pursuit of more trophies, says Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano.
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More match-winning heroics from Herons captainHas helped to secure Champions Cup semi-final berthRemains a source of inspiration to those around himFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi already has a historic haul of major honours to his name, with that record-breaking collection taken to 46 during the 2024 MLS campaign – as he helped to deliver Supporters’ Shield success in South Florida.
AdvertisementImagoTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Inter Miami are competing on multiple fronts in 2025, with a run to the semi-finals of CONCACAF Champions League competition already being enjoyed. Messi bagged a stunning brace in the second leg of their quarter-final clash with LAFC in order to keep the Herons in the hunt for a continental crown.
WHAT JAVIER MASCHERANO SAID
Mascherano told reporters afterwards of his fellow Argentine: “Messi is the soul of this team. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable talking about him because I've known him for 20 years now, and I have to help him in this stage of his career.
“He's a guy who has everything in football. He's the greatest in history, and he's still making the path and guiding the new generations beyond having won everything until the last day he plays on the pitch.
“He wants to win and will do the impossible. Football is just about wanting, but you have to be able. And he has that ability because he is the greatest of all.”
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LAFC boss Steve Cherundolo admitted that, after keeping Messi quiet in California, his side found it impossible to contain the GOAT. He said: “Look, you're talking about one of the greatest to ever play this sport. And from my liking, the second half, you had a little too much freedom.
“We couldn't get enough pressure on him. I thought in the first leg we did an excellent job. In the second, I think it was a little too much freedom. We couldn't get enough pressure on the ball, and you know he's going to punish you as well as his team-mates. I think that's part of what makes him so good. He makes his team-mates better.”