Messi puts Argentina tribute behind him, shifts focus to Inter Miami

With the applause from his tribute with the Argentine national team still echoing, Lionel Messi is already back in Florida. The Albiceleste captain rejoined Inter Miami training, and his focus has now shifted entirely to what's next: the final stretch of the MLS regular season.

Messi reported back to coach Kily González with the team's next match in mind. On Saturday, Inter Miami will host D.C. United in MLS play. No distractions, no emotional hangover: it's time to focus on the club.

So where does the Florida club stand right now? Inter Miami sits in third place in the Eastern Conference, 14 points behind leaders Nashville. It's not the ideal position, but there's still regular season left to play, and the goal is clear: enter the playoffs in the best possible shape.

Numbers that keep impressing

While the team works to climb the standings, Messi continues to dominate the league's individual statistics. He is, as of now, the tournament's leading scorer with 21 goals, and he also tops the assist chart with 13. A player deciding games from both ends, as usual.

One stat captures his offensive weight well: Messi has taken more shots on goal than anyone else in all of MLS, with 150 shots. To put that in perspective, the next player on that list, Milan Iloski, has just 105. The gap speaks to how heavily involved he remains in Inter Miami's attacking play, game after game.

At 39 years old, sustaining that level of production is no small feat, and his name is once again being floated among the candidates for the 2028 Ballon d'Or. Yet another sign that, despite the passing years, he keeps making the difference in every competition he plays.

After a special moment wearing the Argentina jersey, Messi is diving right back into Inter Miami's routine. The plan now is simple to describe, though not so simple to carry out: close out the regular season as strongly as possible and arrive as sharp as he can for the championship run.