Messi faces unwanted milestone as Inter Miami prepare for Montreal test

Lionel Messi is 90 minutes away from matching the longest winless run of his professional career, with Inter Miami needing to beat Montreal on Saturday to avoid an unwanted repeat of his 2013 low with Barcelona.

The Argentina forward has continued to score for Inter Miami, but his side have now gone four consecutive matches without a victory. According to Spanish newspaper AS, another match without a win against Montreal would see Messi equal the longest such sequence of his career.

That record was set in 2013, when Barcelona failed to win five matches in a row. The latest defeat for Inter Miami, against Toronto FC, has increased the pressure on manager Guillermo Hoyos and left Messi’s team needing a positive result in their next fixture.

Speaking after the loss to Toronto FC, Hoyos accepted responsibility for the team’s current difficulties.

“Everything happening now is my responsibility. What we are going through hurts everyone, and the concern is already there.”

The result means Inter Miami are facing a situation similar to one they encountered in 2025. On that occasion, the club went four games without a win, drawing twice and losing twice, before responding with a run of five consecutive victories.

Messi’s worst winless sequence came during his time at Barcelona in 2013. Across those five matches, Barcelona drew with Celta Vigo, Paris Saint-Germain twice and Athletic Bilbao. Their run also included a heavy 4-0 defeat by Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.

Inter Miami’s meeting with Montreal therefore carries significance beyond the immediate need for points. A draw or defeat would extend their current sequence to five matches without a victory and place Messi level with the longest winless spell of his professional career.

Although the Argentine has continued to find the net, his side’s results have become the central concern. The defeat by Toronto FC has made Saturday’s fixture a crucial opportunity for Inter Miami to stop the run before it reaches the same length as Barcelona’s difficult spell from 2013.

The comparison with that earlier sequence is particularly stark because of the result against Bayern Munich, which remains the heaviest setback included in Messi’s longest run without a win. Inter Miami will hope Montreal can instead provide the turning point that the team found in 2025, when four winless matches were followed by five successive victories.

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