A projected 1.8 billion people around the world will be watching Sunday’s World Cup final, and some 80,000 will attend in person at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Most of them will be watching to see whether Argentina or Spain emerge as the world champion.
Instead, I will be paying attention to the convergence of two historic transitions: the possible closing chapter of Argentine legend Lionel Messi’s storied football career and the unmistakable arrival of the United States and American fandom as major, enduring factors for the world’s game.
These moments have become dramatically intertwined through Messi’s move to Inter Miami in 2023, where he’s likely to end his club career, and then his emergence this year as the undisputed star of the World Cup, where Sunday could mark his final match at the game’s highest global level.
Messi’s genius
Every generation is granted a small number of figures whose greatness escapes the boundaries of their profession. They come to define their time on the stage, and they can inspire a generation. For me, that has included Willie Mays in baseball, Muhammad Ali in boxing, Michael Jordan in basketball, and Simone Biles in gymnastics. Others will have their own lists.
