Lionel Messi of Inter Miami lifts the trophy after winning the MLS Cup final against the Vancouver Whitecaps at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Saturday. Rich Storry/Getty Images Fort Lauderdale, Florida AP —

Lionel Messi ’s legacy was long secured when he came to Inter Miami and joined Major League Soccer. He’d won a World Cup , won dozens of trophies, was generally considered the greatest player in the sport’s history.

He didn’t need an MLS Cup.

But he wanted one — and got it.

Messi and Inter Miami have completed their ascent, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on Saturday in the MLS Cup final for the franchise’s first championship. It came 2 1/2 years after the legend arrived in South Florida, a move that stunned plenty of onlookers at the time.

“They s

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