Lionel Messi's Late Goal Still Lives up to Pep Guardiola's Old Praise

In the world of sports, there are plenty of cliches about doing the little things right. Lionel Messi, it seems, hasn't missed that memo even at age 36 and while (presumably) playing out his career in the MLS.

While you might excuse the Argentine superstar for somewhat resting on his laurels—he has won just about every major honor available and landed in the United States as a legend of the game—that wasn't the case on Sunday night. Inter Miami traveled west to visit the LA Galaxy and, in the contest's dying minutes, Messi and old Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba turned back the clock and produced a game-tying goal.

That moment largely speaks for itself; a late goal is something that just about everyone can understand at first glance. But, if you take a closer look at the tape, there's something more at play. Messi is still living up to some of his former manager Pep Guardiola's old praise.

Messi Scored by Pushing Into the Penalty Area

Although someone with Messi's talent can score from just about anywhere on the field, shots from closer range understandably have a higher chance of finding the back of the net. That came into play at the end of the Inter Miami-LA Galaxy match.

In stoppage time, Messi intercepted a pass in the Galaxy's half of the pitch and played a one-two with Jordi Alba. The Argentine legend then sent another pass Alba's way, this time toward the touchline, before running into the heart of the penalty area. Alba then rolled a one-touch cutback into the danger area, where Messi appeared to slot the ball home.

Again, the circumstances around the goal are immediately understandable; late drama transcends language and specific sports fandom. Looking a bit more closely, you can also pick out some clear quality, like Alba's cutback pass and Messi's ability to lift the shot over the goalkeeper while reaching for that return ball.

But, beyond that, there's something else at play: effort.

Messi started the move with an interception. He could have played the ball to Alba and stopped, or he could have hung back around the top of the box waiting for a shot, but that wasn't the case. Instead, he kept moving and got himself into a danger area.

And that paid dividends.

Messi's willingness to put in those hard yards is something that's been highlighted by his old Barcelona boss, Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard, who has since moved to Manchester City, could be seen explaining that point to his players during Together: Champions Again.

"Do you know why Messi is the best player I've ever seen in my life?" Pep asked his squad. "Because he's a ****ing competitor. He's an animal. And now, we pass the ball, and we take a look. When you pass the ball attack [the penalty area]."

Guardiola was also at a tactic board at the time and started frantically moving the representations of City's players toward the penalty spot.

"You have to score the goals guys," the manager continued. "Messi passes the ball and goes in like a machine. He smells the goal. And you have to cross, and you have to arrive."

Does any of that sound familiar? Even in the MLS, with a World Cup and countless other accolades to his name, Messi still made the pass and got into the danger zone. And, once he arrived, his quality took over.

Is it fair to argue that effort should be the lowest bar that everyone should clear? Maybe, but that's not always the case. And you could also contend that, at age 36, Messi might not have the legs to make that run in the 92nd minute of a game.

And to be clear, the game wasn't perfect. Messi had a quiet first half (only 27 touches, according to an ESPN News Services write-up) and Inter Miami's older stars had moments of showing their age. But, when push comes to shove, having one of soccer's legitimate GOAT candidates was enough to salvage a draw.

If you've watched enough sports, you'll be well-acquainted with the cliche that "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." When someone like Lionel Messi is both incredibly gifted and willing to keep making attacking runs during stoppage time, that's a pretty impressive combination.

And while it may be easy to say that he can dominate the MLS simply by showing up, you can still see plenty of proof of what makes him special.