Messi’s departure leaves the Club World Cup and FIFA without their main star attraction.

If Real Madrid is by far the biggest attraction FIFA has to sell its novel and costly Club World Cup in the United States, Leo Messi’s farewell after Inter Miami’s elimination at the hands of PSG (4-0) means the absence of the largest individual draw that this first edition of the tournament had. Neither Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Vitinha, nor Rodri, to name a few of the big names still competing, have Messi’s appeal in the United States. The player brings together admiration from all communities living in the country.

The Argentine star’s participation was always on Gianni Infantino’s mind as an essential figure to promote and boost the expensive competition he has created. The inclusion of Inter Miami was surrounded by controversy since its selection was announced over other American clubs with more history and winning pedigree. FIFA reserved a spot for a team from the host country and granted it in October 2024. The criterion used, which had not been public until the selection moment, was that the team partially owned by David Beckham had won the Supporter’s Shield. This award, before the start of the title playoffs for MLS, honors the best team of the regular season, and Inter Miami set a points record (76).

Infantino, microphone in hand, took the opportunity to announce his decision with enthusiasm. He announced it euphorically at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami before the enthusiastic local fans. “We all know that Miami loves soccer and that Inter Miami receives support from all of Florida and beyond for its exciting style of play,” said the president of FIFA. “Congratulations on your wonderful achievement of winning the Supporter’s Shield 2024. You have shown that in the United States, you are consistently the best club on the field.” Columbus Crew was at that time the reigning champion of Major League Soccer (MLS), the winner of the Leagues Cup, and the runner-up of the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Sources familiar with the team selection process admit that there were no formal complaints from Columbus Crew or MLS, who were also interested in having Messi’s Inter Miami chosen. In Europe or South America, the decision could not have been so arbitrary. The football industry is increasingly influenced by ruthless neoliberalism, but it still fears the romanticism of fans who frown when the sporting merits for entering competitions are questioned. The spectacular failure of the first Super League model was the greatest example.

FIFA acknowledges that Messi’s participation in the tournament is more than justified. Inter Miami advancing from the group stage relieved Infantino, as there were doubts about whether it could achieve this. The magnificent free-kick goal he scored against Palmeiras (2-2) that allowed Inter Miami to qualify for the round of 16 went viral to Infantino’s satisfaction and that of his organization. FIFA has not quantified Messi’s economic impact on the Club World Cup, but they admit that his participation, which was anticipated from the initial project, was an advantage for negotiations with sponsors and made the tournament more attractive for selling television rights.

Messi said goodbye to the Club World Cup in Atlanta, which has been the epicenter of hip-hop since the 1990s—a musical style that sings the truths of the streets and the harshness of American social reality. The metropolis, which once was the fourth most populous city in the nation with a Black population, is also promoted by its taxi drivers as “a crazy and fun city that never sleeps.” This might lead to a simple and humorous explanation; Atlanta is home to the headquarters of the exciting Coca-Cola.

In the impressive Mercedes Benz Stadium, which features a retractable roof and a fine, transparent structure closing open spaces on its side façades, Messi absorbed the reality of the football he now competes in.

Any player can detect when they have to accept resignation in the face of a manifestly superior opponent. This was no less true for someone considered by many to be the greatest player in history, although contemporaries of Di Stéfano, Pelé, Maradona, Cruyff, or his nemesis, Cristiano Ronaldo, can also make arguments that at least challenge that reign. Leo Messi, after PSG completely dominated Inter Miami and him, closing the match with a resounding 4-0 in the first half, did not hide after the beating received. He had defended his pride by staying on the field for all 90 minutes. And before the press, he was honest and emphatic: “It was a bit what we expected, wasn’t it? We played against a team that just won a Champions League final 5-0 against Inter Milan. PSG is undoubtedly the best team in the world today. It is normal for what happened to happen,” Messi stated in an interview with Dsports.

The duel with PSG depicted a very different reality from what he experienced in 2014 when James, the cult group that exploded and continues to explore all the tones of Manchester sound, dedicated the opening verse of their trance-rock hit Curse, Curse. Messi’s goals were so routine that they inspired a customary lyric. The song tells a story of involuntary auditory voyeurism experienced by singer Tim Booth in a hotel. To avoid hearing the amorous sounds of the couple in the next room, he turned on the television and raised the volume. Booth wrote: In my hotel room / Sounds from the next door / Someone is having sex / Proclaiming the name of God / The end is on the way / Embarrassed, I turn on the television and raise the volume / The Copa del Rey / Messi shoots and scores.