Two matches, two awards ceremonies: Is Lionel Messi about to fly 16,000 miles in seven days? New York Times (Online) Tom Bogert If Lionel Messi is to find a way to show up for everything, he is in for a busy week. And a ton of air miles. The legendary Argentine is being honored in Spain on Thursday by the jury for the Princess of Asturias Award for Sport, at which he will definitely be in attendance. On Saturday, Inter Miami travels to New Jersey to face Red Bull New York. On Monday, he's invited to the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, after the eight-time winner was named on the shortlist again following another excellent year for club and country. Two days later, on Wednesday, Inter Miami hosts FC Cincinnati in another MLS match. Should Messi play both Miami games and attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony, he would travel around 16,000 miles in the air over roughly 36 hours on a plane, and all in the space of a week. His travel plan is not yet confirmed, however. Messi traveled to Spain on Wednesday ahead of Thursday's ceremony. Beyond that, we will have to wait and see. His presence at the London Palladium for the Ballon d'Or ceremony is not guaranteed, though Vincent Garcia, the editor of France Football, has said with a degree of caution that he is hopeful all the leading contenders for the men's and women's awards will attend on Monday evening following positive dialogue with their clubs. Here is what the Inter Miami No 10 is juggling… As in-demand and in-form as ever, Messi has led Inter Miami on a three-game winning streak after a dip in team form this summer. Over the past two months, Messi has played every single minute across 13 Miami matches. He has at least one goal contribution in each one, totaling 14 goals and seven primary assists. Along the way, Messi enjoyed an emotional send-off with the Argentine national team in Buenos Aires. He returned from international duty back to the day-to-day grind of the end of the MLS season. With a World Cup break, MLS fixture congestion is worse than usual, hence another midweek game on October 28. All points are crucial at this stage. Miami is looking to hold onto second place in the Eastern Conference in their final four matches, just three points ahead of the New England Revolution in third. In MLS, the first round of the playoffs is a best-of-three series (in which the higher seed would host the first and third games, if necessary) then shifts to a single-elimination tournament; the host is determined by the regular season table. Miami is also jockeying with teams in the Western Conference to ensure that if they return to the MLS Cup, they would host the final once again. Miami is currently level on points with the Vancouver Whitecaps, the team they hosted and beat in the MLS Cup last year. The Princess of Asturias Foundation Awards are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain to individuals and/or institutions from around the world who contribute to progress and social well-being in an extraordinary and exemplary way through their work in scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian fields. The Princess of Asturias is an official title of the heir to the Spanish throne — currently Leonor, first daughter of Spain's King Felipe VI. The awards are presented every October in Oviedo, the capital of the Spanish region of Asturias. Past winners include Serena Williams (2025), Eliud Kipchoge (2023), Lindsey Vonn (2019), the New Zealand men's rugby team (2017), the New York City Marathon (2014) and the Spanish men's football team (2010). The jury for the award granted the honor to Messi for “his dazzling talent, his exceptional sporting career, and his formidable and ongoing charitable work,” as well as his status as “the player who has won the most trophies in the history of football”. The organisers of the award called Messi a “model of overcoming challenges” — mentioning how he had a growth problem as a boy. They also drew attention to the “perseverance, humility, and commitment to team play” he has shown through his career, as well as his role as a UNICEF ambassador and the work done by his personal Fundación Leo Messi. “I hope my story inspires many boys and girls to keep dreaming — through hard work and a love for sport — while remembering that what matters most is striving to be a good person and upholding the values ​​that sport teaches us,” Messi said back in early June when the award was announced . Other award winners this year include U.S. rocker Patti Smith, American astronaut Christina Koch, English authors Julian Barnes and Timothy Garton Ash and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Messi is not doing a press conference, unlike some of the other winners. The only time Messi might say anything is when he is scheduled to speak to children and young people on Thursday at 17:30 local time, at Oviedo's Palacio de los Deportes. The general public could register for free to attend the event via the Foundation's website last Sunday morning, and the 4,700 places on offer filled up in 13 minutes. “They cannot all speak as there is limited time and we already have four talks organised,” Teresa Sanjurjo, director of the Princess of Asturias Foundation. “It is possible that he will have to depart from Spain ahead of schedule. He didn't present this as a demand, but rather as a constraint.” Sanjurjo also noted when speaking to local reporters that the athlete had been “as accommodating as could he possibly be” given his schedule. Once again, Messi was one of the defining players of the World Cup this summer, despite turning 39 years old during the group stage. Messi had eight goals and four assists in eight matches, dragging Argentina to the final, where they lost to Spain 1-0 after extra time. The final was the only game he didn't contribute a goal or assist. He was awarded the silver ball for the tournament's second-best player after several memorable comebacks in the knockout rounds, including two assists against England in the final minutes of the semifinal to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win. He is enjoying another stellar season in MLS too, leading the league in goals (25) and tying for first in assists (15) in 27 appearances, as he glides to his third consecutive MLS MVP award. Messi is the all-time leader with eight Ballon d'Or wins, and while not expected to win a ninth this year, he was ranked by The Athletic as the No. 10 contender for this year's award.