Earlier this week, Lionel Messi was photographed getting ready for a match. As he left his hotel, the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia, Messi was caught sipping some mate and smiling at the camera.

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The photos show Messi wearing his Inter Miami training kit. As he sips his mate, he pushes a white carry-on bag and a white backpack. He smiled at the cameras and continued on, probably on his way to the match.

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Messi’s incredible run at Inter Miami

Messi and his team played against Philadelphia Union, cruising with a scoreline that concluded on 4 -1. Messi scored one of the goals and is leading his team to the Leagues Cup trophy, only having one match left to play.

“It’s a big chance for us, for the team, for the ball club – the first final,” said Josef Martinez, the Venezuelan Inter Miami player who also scored a goal. “We have to fight for that. We’re happy.”

Messi’s next match is this Saturday. He’s scored nine goals in six games, showing that he’s better than ever despite the fact that he’s 36 years old, and presumably close to his retirement. Inter Miami will be playing Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup Final.

“We are inspired, motivated, and confident. But we are focused on doing everything the team needs to get better,” said Tata Martino, the coach for Inter Miami, after the win. “We are not confused because we’re in the final now. No, we’re focused. We want to make Inter a very competitive team. Even though we’re in the final, we have a long way to go. If we didn’t have this result, we’d be complaining. But we haven’t done everything yet. No team can put together a solid team in 30 days or so.”