The Leagues Cup?! From now on, just christen it 'The Lionel Messi Cup' after Inter Miami's title win

To be fair, this summer's tournament wasn't the first Leagues Cup. That inaugural competition was held back in 2019, with a sequel held two years later after the Covid-19 pandemic subsided. However, those tournament were mere predecessors to the behemoth unleashed this summer.

After hosting those two relatively-muted competitions between select teams from MLS and Liga MX, the two leagues invited everyone to the party this summer. Both leagues would pause their domestic schedules for this new-look tournament: 47 teams, three countries, two leagues and one winner at the end of it all.

It's a big idea, really, but one that aligns with the developing relationship between MLS and Liga MX. The two leagues have collaborated for a few years now, with both sides facing off in a number of competitions. All-Star Games, in-season tournaments, strategic partnerships... it's all been on the table for the two leagues.

This, though, was the big one and, just before the tournament began, it suddenly became the most anticipated event in world football. In this Leagues Cup, this brand-new tournament, Messi would make his debut.

It's hard to imagine the amount of champagne popped at MLS and Liga MX's respective headquarters. Their new tournament, the first of its kind, would be graced by Messi, arguably the best to ever do it. His first-ever game for Inter Miami would come against Cruz Azul. The two sides couldn't have planned it any better: A true battle of MLS vs Liga MX with an Argentinian GOAT taking center-stage.

As it turned out, 'taking center-stage' was putting it lightly. It took a while for Messi to make his mark, with Inter Miami boss Tata Martino opting to bring his new superstar off the bench for his debut. As a result, a crowd featuring celebrity onlookers such as LeBron James, Kim Kardashian and Serena Williams was forced to wait for their glimpse of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.

It turned out to be very, very worth it. With the game seemingly bound for penalties, it was Messi who stole the show. You've all seen the last-minute free-kick by now. On his debut, Messi somehow created yet another storybook moment, announcing his arrival in a way that only he can.

It was a 'Welcome to Inter Miami' moment, but also a sign of things to come...

It began with that miraculous free-kick against Cruz Azul and it ended the way it always seemed destined to the moment that strike hit the back of the net: Messi, high in the air, preparing to lift another trophy.

Throughout Inter Miami's seven-game run, Messi was dominant, not that he wasn't expected to be, as anyone who has followed his career knows what he is capable. However, few could have predicted that Messi would be able to perform as he did this with this team, this soon.

By the end, he had 10 goals in seven games, a runaway Golden Boot winner. And it wasn't just the goals, but the life he injected into his team and this tournament. With Messi on the field, every Inter Miami game felt like the main event, and his team-mates, all from different backgrounds, rose to the occasion and level set by their new superstar leader. Fans all over the world, many of whom had zero interest in MLS or Liga MX before his arrival, watched on as Messi carried Inter Miami on his back during an unbelievable run.

That will be the lasting image of this tournament, one that will be remembered not just as the first, not just as the best, but no doubt the most important Leagues Cup for years to come. Messi put this tournament on the map all on his own. In future years, the Leagues Cup will be known and remembered as the tournament that Messi built.

It wasn't just Messi, though. There were, in fact, 46 other teams in the field besides the one that had the former Barcelona star. The Argentine was the headline-stealer, no doubt, but there were other moments of magic throughout this Leagues Cup run.

From ridiculous goals to goalkeeper chaos to absolutely unfathomable penalty shootouts, the Leagues Cup had all of the chaos of MLS and Liga MX rolled into one. Both leagues are known for the absolute hilarity they sometimes produce, and teams from both sides of this rivalry provided plenty of it throughout the month-long tournament.

However, of the two sides, it was MLS that came out with the last laugh. Long seen as the little brother of this region, the tide has begun to turn over the last few years. The Seattle Sounders CONCACAF Champions League triumph in 2022 was a start, but this tournament showed that MLS sides are very much catching up. They still have a ways to go to reach the level of Mexico's biggest clubs like Tigres, Club America and Monterrey on a regular basis, but that gap is closing, and it's not just because Messi is turning the tide.

MLS will look back on this tournament fondly. Of the eight quarter-final teams, six were from MLS. Of the four semi-finalists, just one was from Mexico. In the end, teams from the U.S. earned all three podium slots, with Inter Miami, Nashville SC and the Philadelphia Union booking their places in the next CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Winning that competition consistently is still very much the challenge for MLS teams. However, this tournament did show that what does and doesn't matter could rapidly evolve in this part of the world.

That all leads us to the big question. Without the benefit of Messi's debut and without the shininess of being the first of its kind, where will the Leagues Cup fall on the hierarchy of competitions? Well, that is TBD. This competition will certainly grow after this inaugural edition, but we'll have to see how teams approach it in the years to come.

For American teams, will it surpass the U.S. Open Cup in relevance? To be fair, it probably already has. This tournament was a massive success with sold-out crowds and huge TV audiences, something the Open Cup has always lacked. In terms of history, the Open Cup cannot be matched, but in terms of excitement and interest, the Leagues Cup has probably leapfrogged it already.

What will matter more: A CONCACAF Champions Cup trophy or a Leagues Cup trophy? It's tough. The Leagues Cup is obviously a unique grind, but the CCC does have the Club World Cup carrot at the end of it, and that remains the biggest prize this region has to offer as it gives teams their only chance to test themselves against Europe and South America's best.

Perhaps most importantly, what will this all lead to? Are the long-rumored dreams of a Liga MX-MLS merger any closer to happening? Probably not, as this event will probably suffice for a while. Does this open the door to a Copa Libertadores? Quite possibly, especially with Messi involved.

All of those words add up to one big idea: it's hard to say where this tournament will go in the future, but it's safe to say that it made a lasting impact this summer in its first-ever run through.

As we all know, competitions, leagues and trophies have to be given meaning. They don't get it simply by existing; it requires heroes, villains, storylines, moments.

The Leagues Cup may get there someday. Like MLS itself, the competition must define its place in history. In a sport that features competitions that are literally over a century old, it's impossible for the Leagues Cup to truly carry meaning like, say, the FA Cup, Champions League or any other big cup competition.

This tournament, though, is off to one hell of a start. Few tournaments will be as memorable and few will feel like a landmark moment in the way this one did. North American soccer will soon be divided into two eras, before Messi and after Messi, and this Leagues Cup will be that turning point, the moment it all changed.

Because of that, this competition will carry a different level of prestige. It always would given the participants. Competition between MLS and Liga MX is fierce, and bragging rights would almost always be enough to get the big teams motivated for this competition.

For future editions, though, there will be a different motivation: to get hands on a trophy that Messi defined. Messi and Inter Miami are the first champions, and their mere presence on this trophy adds prestige to it that it never would have had without them.