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.

All signs point to Lionel Messi being included in Argentina’s preliminary squad, a key step ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to kick off on June 11, meaning all 48 participating teams are entering the final stretch of their preparations for the tournament. Argentina are closely monitoring Lionel Messi’s situation, as he has yet to publicly confirm whether he will play in the competition. However, time is running short, and that decision cannot be delayed much longer. By May 11, all participating federations must submit a preliminary list to FIFA with the players under consideration for the tournament. That means Lionel Scaloni will have to make a decision soon. “The coach will include Messi in the list of 55 players that will serve as the starting point for the final 26-man squad, which must be submitted to FIFA before May 30,” journalist Leandro Contento of La Nacion, one of Argentina’s most prestigious outlets, reported on Thursday. So far, the Inter Miami forward has remained cautious about his chances of playing in what would be his sixth World Cup. The reason lies in doubts about whether he can meet the physical demands of the tournament, as he will be turning 39 by then. Lionel Scaloni, Head Coach of Argentina. While his inclusion in Argentina’s preliminary squad would not necessarily confirm his presence at North America 2026, it would represent another step toward that outcome. It would mark the first official decision linking Messi to the national team in relation to the upcoming World Cup. What is the purpose of the World Cup preliminary squad? In recent years, FIFA has established two key deadlines for national teams participating in the World Cup. The first requires teams to submit a preliminary list of players under consideration for the tournament, while a later deadline is used to finalize the official roster. In principle, once the final 26-man squad is set, any changes due to injuries or exceptional circumstances can be made with FIFA’s approval. In those cases, replacements must come from the players included in the preliminary list. That initial list, however, is less restrictive than the final roster. In fact, coaches are not required to name the maximum of 55 players—they can submit a smaller group, as long as it includes at least 35. That is exactly what Lionel Scaloni did ahead of Qatar 2022. He put together a 48-player list that included injured players—such as Giovani Lo Celso—as well as young prospects with little chance of making the final squad, like Nicolas Paz and Alejandro Garnacho. When Nicolas Gonzalez and Joaquin Correa had to be replaced due to injury at the last minute, their replacements—Angel Correa and Thiago Almada—were already part of the preliminary list.

Lionel Messi has a chance to go out in a blaze of glory if he can help Argentina to back-to-back World Cups