On day one, the Inter Miami players held their breath to see how Lionel Messi might assert himself around the group. The post ‘The Messi Effect’: Inter Miami players reveal Day 1 locker-room interactions with the global legend appeared first on Soccer America.

With the 2026 MLS season already underway, questions are being raised about when Argentina and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi will play his next game. Lionel Messi is still making history at 38 years old, remaining a cornerstone and captain for both Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. With the 2026 Major League Soccer season now underway, fans are wondering when they’ll see the forward back in action. Lionel Messi’s next match with Inter Miami is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, when the Herons will be hosting New England Revolution in the MLS at the Nu Stadium. The Argentine legend heads into the fixture after going scoreless in the 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake. As for international duty with Argentina national team, Lionel Messi is set to return to action during the June international window. Before the World Cup gets underway, the Albiceleste will be facing Honduras on June 6th, and Iceland on June 9, leaving Messi and company just one week to regroup before their tournament opener against Algeria on the 16th. The 2026 MLS campaign has just begun for Messi, who has featured in ten official matches so far across all competitions, scoring eight times without registering an assist. The opener came against LAFC, who handed Inter Miami a 3-0 defeat in front of a packed crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF during the MLS match against LAFC. Lionel Messi and the task of defending the World Cup title The year 2026 will be especially significant for Messi, not only because of Inter Miami’s ambitions but also because he’ll head into the 2026 World Cup aiming to defend the title. The triumph in Qatar in 2022 marked one of the defining peaks of his career, and now in North America he’ll enter another tournament wearing the champions’ badge for the first time. Drawn into Group J, Argentina will open its campaign against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. The second match will be against Austria on Monday the 22nd in Arlington at AT&T Stadium, before closing the group stage against Jordan on Saturday the 27th, also in Texas. The Argentina FA has announced that the national team will base itself in Kansas City during the tournament, though training facilities have yet to be confirmed. Expected to be his final World Cup appearance, Messi will have a chance to add to his record haul with a squad coached by Lionel Scaloni that remains one of the strongest in international soccer after winning the last World Cup and back-to-back Copa América titles.

Noah Allen has turned into the player with most appearances in Inter Miami's short history, prompting questions on how far is star Lionel Messi from the defender. Noah Allen has etched his name into the Inter Miami history books, officially becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in appearances. While the 21-year-old defender has reached this milestone at a remarkably young age, many fans are wondering where global superstar Lionel Messi sits on that same list. Inter Miami traveled to Utah to face Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, securing a 2-0 victory behind goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez. Beyond the three points, the match was a historic one for Noah Allen, who started at left wing-back in manager Guillermo Hoyos’ 5-3-2 system. With the start, Allen reached 119 appearances in an Inter Miami jersey, moving into sole possession of the club’s all-time games played record. The Greece international surpassed the previous mark of 118 held by goalkeeper Drake Callender, who set the standard before his departure from the club in 2025. A product of the Inter Miami academy since 2019, Allen featured in 53 matches for the second team before making his first-team debut on February 26, 2022, against the Chicago Fire. Since then, he has avoided major injury and established himself as a fixture in the squad, contributing two goals and four assists over his record-breaking tenure. History in the making 💫 Most appearances in club history! pic.twitter.com/O3E50vlx1N — Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) April 23, 2026 Where does Lionel Messi stand? Lionel Messi has already shattered a litany of records in South Florida, leading the franchise to its first trophies and serving as the all-time leader in goals (85) and assists (44). However, the all-time appearance list is one of the few leaderboards where the Argentine legend is still climbing his way toward the top. Messi currently sits in eighth place on the club’s all-time appearances list with 98 games played. He is now just two matches away from the 100-game milestone, which would move him into a tie for seventh with Leonardo Campana. Jordi Alba holds sixth place with 103 appearances, followed by Benjamin Cremaschi in fifth at 107, while the top four is rounded out by Robert Taylor and Sergio Busquets, both locked at 116, and Drake Callender sitting in second. Lionel Messi and Noah Allen are the only players in the top eight currently in a position to add to their totals, leaving the door open for Messi to continue his climb while Allen looks to pull even further away from the pack. With roughly 30 matches remaining in the 2026 MLS regular season and the Leagues Cup, there is plenty of room for Messi’s tally to grow. Having featured in 49 games last season, Messi could realistically surpass Callender’s mark of 118 by the end of the year, though catching Allen will depend on the young defender’s continued role in the rotation.

Aston Villa are interested in signing Manchester City star James Trafford. Emiliano Martinez is Villa’s first-choice goalkeeper this season. However, the 33-year-old has had an uneasy relationship with the club since he failed to get his desired transfer last summer. Martinez hoped to join Manchester United, Chelsea or Atletico Madrid, but a move didn’t materialise. […]

We started back in January with the qualifiers and now we are at the Azteca, bursting with 114,000 people for the World Cup Final of 1986. Aidan Williams and Dominic Hougham join Martyn to discuss the team selections and possible alternatives, the game, the impact of the last 20 minutes, the fascinating live coverage and debate where this Final and the tournament as a whole sits on the World Cup pantheon. Argentina v West Germany - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw1zBZC--AY If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, join our Nessun Dorma community chat, want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier or just want to support the podcast, then head over to ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast⁠⁠⁠ where you can subscribe for only $3.99 a month (less than 75p a week!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With less than 50 days until kickoff, World Cup odds are shifting following Spain star Lamine Yamal’s injury, with a new co-favorite emerging.

Argentina and perhaps Lionel Messi in SEC country. The Three Lions in Florida in the middle of the afternoon. The post Datebook: World Cup 2026 tune-ups appeared first on Soccer America.

Enzo Fernandez is wanted by Manchester City, Aston Villa identify James Trafford as a potential Emiliano Martinez replacement and Manchester United are keen on Micky van de Ven.

Former Manchester City and Argentina striker Sergio Aguero has provided an insight into when Lionel Messi will decide on his future at Inter Miami.