Messi’s World Cup triumph leaves America his last frontier to conquer as Inter Miami waits 

For Argentina’s triumph and Leo Messi's ethereal foot in it, there is only one word, and we use it with a nod to the great Ray Hudson:

Magisterial!

In society and certainly in sports journalism we are commonly guilty of recency bias: Whatever just happened is the greatest of all time. But when the 2022 Argentina-France World Cup final was instantly minted as the best ever ... well, it was. Or at least it’s a must now for any discussion of the topic.

What we have just seen gloriously whets the appetite for the next men’s World Cup in 2026 that will include Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium among host venues as the United States, Canada and Mexico (but predominantly the U.S.) host what is the biggest sporting event on the planet.

Messi, 35, has said the World Cup just past will be his last. But has his still-elite-level performance in winning it changed his mind on that?

Has Messi on top of the world delayed his reported plan to join Inter Miami as Major League Soccer’s highest-paid player as early as next summer?