Less than three months removed from its first MLS Cup championship, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami shows no signs of a letdown.

MLS commissioner Don Garber summed this up well during his state of the league address in December, saying, "We'd love to say that [the World Cup is] the rocket fuel, but this jet has been running for 30 years, and it's going to run for another 30."

Rafael Leao said Lionel Messi winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup does not make him greater than Cristiano Ronaldo. Speaking to CBS Sports Golazo, Leao said Ronaldo remains the greatest in football history.

The defending champions will be spending a lot of time in Kansas City during the 2026 World Cup.

As another season of MLS kicks off, Inter Miami are officially the team to beat after lifting the MLS Cup trophy in December, while Lionel Messi collected his second consecutive MVP award following a season where he was involved in a whopping 48 goals,

A World Cup-winning Argentina teammate of Lionel Messi once failed a trial at Barcelona: “He was very bad.” With Lionel Messi as captain, Argentina national team won the 2022 World Cup with a squad full of players who had flown under the radar for years before the tournament.

For Cristiano Ronaldo, the outlook is different. Under contract with Al-Nassr, the Portuguese forward has four primary competitions ahead: the Saudi Pro League, the King’s Cup, the AFC Champions League Two, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Portugal.