Carlos Alcaraz, the ATP world No. 1, joined Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF to present the MLS Eastern Conference trophy following the club’s 5-1 victory over New York City FC. Alcaraz had accepted his second ATP year-end No. 1 trophy at the year-end Nitto ATP Finals in Turin earlier this month and was on hand to hand the postseason hardware to Messi and his teammates.

Messi, who signed with Inter Miami in 2023 on a two-and-a-half year contract, picked up an assist in the win and in the process set the record for all-time career assists. It was the first MLS postseason trophy for Messi and the club, and Alcaraz watched as the milestone unfolded from a prominent role in the presentation.

When the match began, Messi winked at Alcaraz as he ran onto the pitch, a gesture that echoed their first meeting at the 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards. The six-time Grand Slam singles champion later greeted other Inter Miami stars including Sergio Busquets, Rodrigo De Paul, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez. A clip of that entrance attracted nearly 170,000 likes on MLS’ official Instagram account.

Alcaraz was presented with a custom Miami jersey that read “Carlitos” and embraced the winning players after handing over the trophy, creating one of the evening’s most photographed moments. The occasion generated significant reaction on social media, with one user writing, “The GOAT and future GOAT of tennis,” and another calling it “a legendary crossover.”

The event combined a tennis year-end celebration with a major moment in U.S. soccer: a champion from one sport recognizing a champion from another on the field of play. © AFP or licensors

Carlos Alcaraz watched from the sidelines as Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF celebrated a commanding 5-1 victory over New York City FC, then handed the MLS Eastern Conference trophy to the team in a brief ceremony. The world No. 1 had accepted his second ATP year-end No. 1 trophy at the year-end Nitto ATP Finals in Turin earlier this month and was in Fort Lauderdale to witness Messi make history.

The 38-year-old joined Inter Miami in 2023 on a two-and-a-half year contract and contributed an assist in the match, a pass that set the record for all-time career assists. When the game began, Messi winked at Alcaraz when running onto the pitch, mimicking his acknowledgment of Alcaraz from their first-ever meeting at the 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards. The six-time Grand Slam singles champion later greeted the club’s other stars, including Sergio Busquets, Rodrigo De Paul, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez.

A clip of the entrance drew heavy attention online and racked up nearly 170,000 likes on MLS’ official Instagram account. After the match, Alcaraz presented Messi and the Inter Miami players with the Eastern Conference trophy and was given a custom Miami jersey which reads “Carlitos.” He embraced members of the winning side in a moment that quickly generated social media reaction.

Fans chimed in on X with enthusiastic posts. “The GOAT and future GOAT of tennis,” wrote one X user, while another dubbed it “a legendary crossover.” The scene was a crossover of two sports at different peaks: one player marking another’s club achievement, the other adding another milestone to an already storied career. For Alcaraz, the appearance was a high-profile offseason stop; for Messi, it was another step in a transformative chapter with Inter Miami.

When the Next Gen ATP Finals were announced in London in November 2016, Chris Kermode framed the event as a forward-looking experiment. “The world’s top eight 20-and-under singles players will compete in a special season finale,” he announces, a competition intended to spotlight emerging talent during a moment of change. Kermode added context for the initiative. “Everybody in the sport has promoted heavily the Big Four for the last 10 years,” Kermode explained. “What we need to do as the ATP is market many more players to a wider audience. We’re at almost a changing of the guard.”

The tournament was conceived in part as a successor to the discontinued ATP Challenger Tour Finals that had been held in São Paulo. “The Challenger Finals was a good idea. It never established roots,” Kermode said. “This is a blend of that idea—and I think it will be hugely successful because it has other elements.” The inaugural edition in Milan in 2017 introduced a package of ten experimental rule changes, and the event has remained the sport’s main playground for innovation.

The roll call of past champions reads like a timeline of progression: Hyeon Chung won the first title in Milan, followed by Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Brandon Nakashima, Hamad Medjedovic and most recently Joao Fonseca. Flavio Cobolli, this year’s Davis Cup hero for Italy, qualified for the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah.

Staged in Jeddah since 2023, with this season marking the final time the tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia, the event continues to highlight a highly competitive and global cohort. Leading the Race to Jeddah is 20-year-old Jakub Mensik, who broke through by claiming his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami. Close behind is Joao Fonseca, a two-time ATP champion this season in Basel and Buenos Aires. Nineteen-year-old Learner Tien captured his first ATP Tour trophy at the Moselle Open in Metz. Twenty-year-old Alexander Blockx added Challenger wins in Oeiras and Bratislava.

Other contenders include Dino Prizmic, 20, with Challenger titles in Bratislava and Zagreb; 19-year-old Martin Landaluce, winner in Orléans; Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, 19, who secured four Challenger trophies this year in Glasgow, Tampere, Astana and Mouilleron-Le-Captif; Nishesh Basavareddy, noted for an ATP 250 semifinal in Auckland; Rafael Jodar, 19, with three Challenger titles in Hersonissos, Lincoln and Charlottesville; and 18-year-old Justin Engel, who reached the Boss Open quarterfinals in Stuttgart and won his first Challenger in Hamburg.