It was a narrow victory for the 36-year-old who was against finalists 25-year-old Kylian Mbappé of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City’s young phenom Erling Haaland, 23.

Messi and Haaland, one of Biography.com’s People You’ll Know in 2024, tied in the scoring tally, but the Argentine had an edge over the Norwegian when it came to first-choice

nominations from national team captains.

Messi is preparing to lineup for Inter Miami’s first preseason game against El Salvador on January 19. At the start of February, Messi will meet Cristiano Ronaldo for a 36^th time when Inter Miami plays Al Nassr in another friendly. Miami’s first match of the regular season is February 21 against Real Salt Lake. Later in the year, Messi could join Argentina at the Olympic Games in Paris.