MLS players on facing Messi: The thrill of meeting...

playTrailer - Messi: The Forgotten Tape (1:09)Before a young Lionel Messi had ever played for Argentina, Spain tried to get him to represent them instead. Stream "Messi: The Forgotten Tape" on ESPN+. (1:09) Ahead of a rare game between Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders last year, Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas was excited because he knew it meant a chance to meet his idols: Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. But he wasn't just going to meet the former Barcelona stars -- Vargas had to try to beat them and the rest of Miami because the 2025 Leagues Cup was on the line for the victor. Quickly, he found himself receiving the wrath of the stars he idolized as a kid when, during his brilliant performance, he was confronted by several players in pink. "It was never my intention to provoke them or make them angry," Vargas told ESPN. "But obviously, given how things unfolded and how I played, perhaps they did get provoked. But for me, the goal was for the team to win -- [Messi, Busquets, Suarez and Alba] taught me that." Since Messi joined MLS in 2023 and other big names soon followed, many longtime MLS players have found themselves in a strange position: going from admiring their soccer heroes from a distance to pestering them on the pitch. Vargas, born in Anchorage, Alaska, grew up trying to emulate Busquets' style of play as a defensive midfielder. As Vargas' style of play became more attack-oriented, he looked to Messi and Suárez for inspiration. Despite years of being a fan, Vargas understood that when the game kicked off, his heroes would just be opponents like any other. After the Sounders took the led en route to an eventual win, tensions grew, and the cameras focused on an interaction between Vargas and Messi. In a confusing moment without context for spectators, the two looked to be arguing before Vargas put his arm around Messi and laughed. "I think if it had been someone else, maybe I would have gotten hooked [on the confrontation], but because it's Messi, I laughed because the truth is what was going through my head is: 'You are Messi, you are the best of all time in the world, you're getting frustrated by me?'" Vargas told ESPN. "... It made me laugh, honestly. And I tried not to get hooked, but for me it was never a moment where I was going to fight with him. "My reaction was always, 'Why did you get hooked on me? Why me? You can do whatever you want on the field. I'm nobody compared to you.' So, that's why I laughed, and maybe he saw it in a different way. Maybe he thought I was making fun of him for laughing, but that wasn't the case. The truth is, it was a moment where I didn't know how to respond. For me, it was a very special moment, but I knew I had to do my job and play well." play1:10Inter Miami CF vs. Seattle Sounders FC - Game HighlightsInter Miami CF vs. Seattle Sounders FC - Game Highlights Vargas joined Atlético Madrid earlier this year, but got his start with the Tacoma Defiance, a Sounders reserve team, before joining the Sounders in 2021 and he won two trophies in five seasons. Like Vargas, Sounders teammate Pedro de la Vega looked up to his opponents. Born in Olavarría, Argentina, De La Vega credits Messi for the joy he has brought to his home country. He admitted before the Leagues Cup final: "My family, my friends and those closest to me are really happy [that I will face Messi in the final]. Obviously me too, but I am trying to stay calm and focus on the game to do the best and do our job." Although the Seattle Sounders forward did not score a goal in the final, he was active in attack, which led to another heated exchange on the field. He admitted he felt some additional pressure when provoking players he labeled as "idols." "For me, [Messi and Rodrigo De Paul] are the greatest, simply the greatest we have, the world champions, they are my idols and well, these are just things that happen in a match," De La Vega said. "I tried to focus on the game and not let that get to me too much because obviously, facing those players as an Argentinian brings extra pressure, which is normal, but I tried to stay focused on the match and do what I had to do." When then-Monterrey forward Brandon Vázquez faced Inter Miami in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals, he was also determined to do his job despite being a fan that watched Messi, Suárez, Busquets and Alba when they were at Barcelona together. "Before the game, it was kind of like, 'Oh crap, I'm actually going to be playing these guys.'" said Vázquez, who now plays for Austin FC. "There were these moments on the field that when I would see Messi on the ball or Messi playing a through ball to Suárez, I was like, 'Holy s---, I am playing against these guys.' It was almost like an out-of-body experience. Like I grew up playing with these guys on [the video game] FIFA, you know, I grew up watching these guys celebrating their goals and all of sudden I'm like watching Suárez going to 1v1 versus

MLS players on facing Messi: The thrill of meeting...

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