A trophy only has the importance that the world assigns to it, and once the Argentine legend landed in Miami, the Leagues Cup acquired a completely new significance.

“The Leagues Cup?! What the hell is that?” You could not have been blamed for asking the question, either. To be fair, a month ago, not even the most ardent North American soccer supporters would have known how to respond. Many fans across the world had the same question as we approached this summer’s competition.

Well, everyone is aware now, and Lionel Messi is the sole reason for this. This competition served as both his debut in North America and his coming-out party. After seven games and 10 goals, Messi has accumulated an unrivaled number of trophies. Due to the fact that there was never a Leagues Cup before this summer, neither Pele nor Maradona had ever claimed one.

The competition began in July with a sense of mystery and curiosity as a result of that. What does that imply? How would it appear? Do people even care?

We now know the answers to such queries, thanks to a certain Argentine superstar. Without Messi, this event would not have received the attention it has received.

Nobody truly knew how this new tournament would be structured until the first ball was kicked. Now that we all know, it will go down in history as the day Messi showed up to contribute his star power to a competition that will always be linked to him.