Inter Miami's Meltdown Drags Lionel Messi Into Unwanted Record Territory

Back in December, Lionel Messi was overcome with emotion as he hoisted Inter Miami's inaugural MLS Cup. The Herons finally claimed the Major League Soccer throne, largely on the back of an extraordinary season from their Argentine talisman.

Eight months on, however, Inter Miami are in freefall. The club has already dismissed Javier Mascherano from the dugout, suffered a Concacaf Champions Cup exit in the round of 16, and failed to advance beyond the group stage at this summer's Leagues Cup.

Adding to the misery, the Herons are virtually eliminated from the 2026 Supporters' Shield conversation following a dreadful stretch of results. The one silver lining has been Messi himself, who returned to the pitch just days after losing his father in an effort to drag Guillermo Hoyos's side back to winning form.

Yet the defending MLS champions have gone winless across their last five outings in all competitions. The Leagues Cup loss to Monterrey came without Messi in the squad, but the subsequent four matches all featured the eight-time Ballon d'Or holder from the first whistle.

Inter Miami's Last Five Matches

Throughout that difficult run, Messi has contributed two goals and one assist. His only blank came when he entered as a substitute against León.

Despite his individual contributions, Messi is now closing in on a milestone he had managed to avoid throughout his entire 22-year professional career.

Messi Headed Straight for Unwanted Career First

The lengthiest winless run of Messi's club career came in 2013, when Barcelona went five straight matches without a victory. The Spanish giants drew against Celta Vigo, Paris Saint-Germain (on two occasions) and Athletic Club, before being thrashed 4–0 by Bayern Munich.

That marked the one and only time Messi endured a five-game winless run—until potentially this weekend. Inter Miami host CF Montréal on Saturday, and dropping points would see the Argentine step into unwanted historical territory.

Messi would equal his worst-ever sequence of results if the Herons draw or lose in south Florida. Should Inter Miami then fail to beat Atlanta United the following week, the 2022 World Cup champion will be in entirely uncharted waters, facing a six-game winless streak.

The encouraging news for Hoyos's side is that Montréal arrives at Nu Stadium having won just once in their last seven outings. Inter Miami have also claimed victory in each of their last three meetings with the Canadian club, going back to May 2024.

The chance to end the slide is there, but Inter Miami have some glaring problems to address if they want to avoid further embarrassment—chief among them their inability to keep a clean sheet. Their last shutout came eight games ago, ironically against Montréal on July 25.

Some History Working in Inter Miami's Favor

A four-game winless run is not entirely new ground for Inter Miami. Under Mascherano, the side went four consecutive MLS matches without a win last May, losing to Minnesota United and Orlando City while drawing with the San Jose Earthquakes and Philadelphia Union.

What followed that rough patch? The Herons reeled off five straight MLS victories and ultimately lifted the 2025 MLS Cup.

The key difference now is that Inter Miami no longer have Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to rely on. The two Barcelona legends, who hung up their boots at the end of last season, had an innate ability to grind out results even when the team was below par—it's precisely why Busquets regularly deputized at center back.

Enable functional cookies to see this feature.

The Spanish duo formed the spine of the defense, and in their absence, Miami have been badly exposed in their own half. Even the addition of Casemiro—who has struggled to find his footing after a disappointing World Cup campaign with Brazil—has done little to pull the team out of its slump.

Once again, the burden will fall on Messi to haul Inter Miami out of trouble and back into winning form. The 39-year-old will fancy his chances against Montréal's porous backline, which has shipped eight goals across their last six matches without keeping a single clean sheet.

Messi will be hoping, however, that it is only the visiting defense under the spotlight on Saturday—otherwise, some very unwanted history awaits him.