club and fans reviewed all 45 titles of Lionel Messi on the morning of July 21, during a ceremony to honor the Argentine superstar who just returned after winning the 2024 Copa America championship.
On the morning of July 21, Hanoi time, before the match against Chicago Fire at Chase Stadium, Inter Miami held a celebration for the 2024 Copa America that Messi recently won with the Argentina team and a record 45 titles.
Inter Miami fireworks to celebrate Messi.
45 young players hold covers with photos and captions for each of Messi’s titles. In this collection, there are six titles Messi won with the Argentine national team, 35 championships with Barca, three cups with PSG, and the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami.
Inter Miami reviews Messi’s 45 titles.
The center circle bears the words “45 titles”.
Messi’s first title with Argentina was the 2005 U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands, where he scored in the group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, winning the Golden Boot and Best Player of the tournament. Three years later, he and Argentina won the Olympic men’s football gold medal in Beijing, China.
It was not until the 2021 Copa America that Messi won his first national team title, at the age of 34. Since then, he has won three more titles, the UEFA Super Cup – South America, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America.
Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas presented Messi with a poster bearing the number 45, created by splicing together photos of the player lifting the trophy. Tens of thousands of spectators then stood up and applauded. Many took photos and videos, which were then posted on social media.
The moment billionaire Jorge Mas gave a gift to Messi.
With 45 titles, Messi is the most successful football player in history. Behind him is his former Barca teammate, Brazilian right-back Dani Alves with 44 titles.
Messi’s arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo is also in the top ten, with 35 titles, but has yet to win the World Cup. In the top 10 most decorated players in elite football, only three have won the World Cup, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique, and they are all former teammates of Messi at Barca.
After the celebration, Messi limped back to his seat. The Inter Miami captain wore a specially designed boot to protect his right ankle, which was injured in the Copa America final. Inter Miami will begin their League Cup defense on July 27. However, Messi is unlikely to return soon, even if the club reaches the final on August 25. According to USA Today , the 37-year-old striker could be out until early September.
On July 15, Messi had to leave the field due to injury in the second half of the 2024 Copa America final. However, Argentina still beat Colombia 1-0, thanks to a goal by Lautaro Martinez in the 112th minute.
Messi lifts the Cup at the 2024 Copa America coronation ceremony.
The Argentine striker has no intention of retiring from the national team, so he still has a chance to win the 2026 World Cup at the age of 39. Before that, Argentina will compete in the European – South American Super Cup with Spain in the summer of 2025.
In addition, Messi still has the chance to win more cups with Inter Miami in MLS, Leagues Cup as well as CONCACAF Champions League.
On Messi’s honor day, Inter Miami beat Chicago Fire 2-1 with two goals from Matias Rojas in the sixth minute and Jordi Alba in the 75th minute. Rafael Czichos pulled one back for the visitors in the 73rd minute.
Inter Miami still leads MLS 2024 with 50 points after 24 games, two points ahead of FC Cincinnati. During Messi’s Copa America stint, the club lost just one game, a 6-1 defeat to FC Cincinnati on July 7.
