Lionel Messi is set for a rare career low if his side fail to turn their fortunes around, and soon. (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Lionel Messi is on the verge of a rare glimpse into his illustrious career with a trophyless season. When Inter Miami take on Nashville SC in Saturday’s decisive MLS playoff knockout match in Fort Lauderdale, the Argentine great will be playing to avoid what would be just the second trophyless stint of his 21-season professional journey. In 20 of those seasons, and in every one not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Messi has lifted at least one team trophy. Fourteen of those seasons produced two or more. But in 2025, none yet. Inter Miami’s MLS Cup campaign is their last opportunity and they must now string together four straight wins, with the first against Nashville, to stay alive. The club’s playoff hopes took a hit last week with a 2-1 loss to Nashville in Game 2 of their best-of-three series. One more defeat would eliminate Miami and leave Messi without a title for the year. The only comparable drought came in 2019–20 with Barcelona, a turbulent season that ended with an 8-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich and no trophies. Since joining Inter Miami in July 2023, Messi has collected the 2023 League Cup, the 2024 Supporters’ Shield and the 2024 Copa América with Argentina. Despite his individual brilliance and on his way to a second MLS MVP award, Miami has fallen behind in key tournaments this year. They exited the CONCACAF Champions Cup in the semi-finals against Vancouver, fell to PSG in the round of 16 at the Club World Cup and were beaten 3-0 by Seattle in the League Cup final. The Supporters’ Shield narrowly missed out as Miami finished third in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Philadelphia.
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Head coach Javier Mascherano urged calm and unity ahead of Saturday’s decision. “Now we have to swallow the poison, store it and keep it inside for a week so we can release it in front of our fans next Saturday,” he said. “It’s time for us to be more united than ever because I strongly believe we will turn this around.”
