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 at home 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.

He led the team to a Leagues Cup trophy in 2023, the MLS Supporters’ Shield last year before a first-round playoff loss — and now, they grabbed MLS’ biggest prize.

“Last year we went out early in the league and were eliminated in the first round,” Messi said in Spanish afterward. “This year, winning MLS was one of our main objectives. The team made a huge effort — it was a very long year, with many matches — and we were up to the task all season.”

Messi set up the title-clinching goal with a 72nd-minute assist to Rodrigo De Paul, a play where Messi stole the ball and threaded a pass through a tiny gap in a wall of Vancouver defenders. De Paul got it in stride, pushed it into the far corner of the net — and Messi went airborne to hop into his arms a few seconds later, all smiles.

And as the final minutes ticked away, Inter Miami’s pink-clad fans — most wearing Messi’s No. 10 on their backs — stood and stomped and cheered. South Florida has seen NFL and NBA and Major League Baseball and NHL titles in the past.

It’s a soccer town now, too. Messi made that happen. Tadeo Allende scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time — off another Messi assist, of course — to make it 3-1. And when Messi lifted the trophy surrounded by his teammates, confetti rained down and fireworks boomed.

“This was the dream,” Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said. “A spectacular day.”

GOLF

Rory McIlroy survived a bizarre encounter with a banana peel lodged in a tree to shoot a 3-under 68 at the Australian Open. His round left him nine strokes behind leader Danish player Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who made birdie putts on the 17th and 18th for a 66 and a 54-hole total of 14-under 199.

Cam Smith, the 2022 British Open champion who ended his streak of missing seven consecutive cuts this year on Friday, also shot 66 Saturday and was tied for second, two strokes off the lead.

On the par-4 second hole, McIlroy missed the fairway and his ball ended up under a small tree and under a banana peel which had apparently been thrown away by a spectator.

Golfers are allowed to move loose impediments as long as the player’s ball doesn’t move in the process. If the ball had shifted as a result of trying to move a loose item, the player incurs a penalty.

So McIlroy tried in vain to hit his ball through the banana peel and the branches and back on to the fairway. But it only traveled about 30 feet and he ended up making a double bogey six.

“It was sort of a double whammy — it was in the tough grass, and under a banana skin,” McIlroy said. “But I shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”

Sepp Straka made three birdies and two eagles on the par 5s for an 8-under 64 to take a one-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler going into the final round of the Hero World Challenge in Nassau, Bahamas.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Cal (8-1) won its fifth straight game with a 67-61 victory over Pacific (7-3), which kept the Golden Bears unbeaten at home at 5-0.

Cal’s Justin Pippen led all scorers with 16 points, with Dai Dai Ames adding 15, John Camden hitting 13 and Chris Bell 11. Pacific was led by Isaac Jack’s double-double on 15 points and 16 rebounds.

Adrian Myers recorded a career-high 20 points and eight rebounds, Colby Garland tallied 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Yaphet Moundi notched his fifth double-double of the season to lead San José State (4-5) in a 86-69 victory over San Diego (3-5) Friday night from Provident Credit Union Event Center.

Milan Momcilovic scored 20 points and Iowa State sank 11 3-pointers to propel No. 10 Iowa State (9-0) to a dominant 81-58 road win over No. 1 Purdue (8-1) while shooting 59 percent from the field in the second half.

Iowa State kept building on its lead from there, leading by as many as 27 points. The Cyclones shot 54% while the Boilermakers hit 41%.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Santa Clara (8-3) had a historic game in its 125-43 non-conference home win over Simpson (4-2) as the Broncos set a program record for points in a game and scoring margin.

The Broncos got double-doubles from Maia Jones (22 points, 13 rebounds), Delaney Miller (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Tyler Gildersleeve-Stiles (15 points, 10 rebounds).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Matt Campbell was hired as Penn State’s coach, ending a two-month search by the Nittany Lions to find James Franklin’s successor.

The 46-year-old Campbell heads to Happy Valley after going 72-55 in 10 seasons at Iowa State to become the winningest coach in the history of that program.

Penn State advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season and began this season ranked No. 2 in the AP poll, but Franklin was fired after the Nittany Lions started 0-3 in Big Ten play.

NFL

Green Bay wide receiver Jayden Reed has been activated from injured reserve, clearing the way for him to play for the first time in nearly three months when the Packers host the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears today.

Reed hasn’t played since suffering a shoulder injury in the Packers’ second game of the season, a 27-18 victory over the Washington Commanders on Sept. 11. The injury occurred as he was making a diving touchdown catch that got nullified by a penalty.

BASEBALL

The Seattle Mariners acquired left-handed reliever Jose A. Ferrer in a trade with the Washington Nationals.

Seattle sent catcher Harry Ford and minor league pitcher Isaac Lyon to Washington for Ferrer, who set career highs with 11 saves and 21 holds in 72 appearances this year.

The 22-year-old Ford is one of baseball’s top prospects, but the Mariners already have All-Star slugger Cal Raleigh at catcher. Ford made his major league debut in September, going 1 for 6 in eight games.

The addition of the 25-year-old Ferrer gives the Mariners another big arm in front of closer Andrés Muñoz.

MOTORSPORTS

Max Verstappen took pole position for the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of Formula 1 title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The thrilling three-way battle will be decided today at the Yas Marina Circuit. The McLaren driver Norris is 12 points ahead of Red Bull’s Verstappen and 16 ahead of McLaren teammate Piastri.

Verstappen is aiming for his fifth straight F1 title — Norris and Piastri are chasing their first. All three drivers have won seven races.

Michael Annett, a former racecar driver who made 436 combined starts in NASCAR’s three national touring series, has died. He was 39. No cause of death was announced.