• Inter Miami star faces Nashville to avoid scenario unseen for 20 years
• Match against Nashville more than just an MLS fixture

Veteran Argentine star Lionel Messi will lead his team Inter Miami in a crucial and decisive mission on Sunday, as the club plays a knockout match in the 2025 MLS Round of 16 against Nashville

The encounter comes under unprecedented pressure on the Argentine star, who faces the prospect of ending the current season with zero titles—a scenario that has not occurred in his illustrious 20-year career

Zero-title season threatens "the Flea’s" legacy

The (DRV PNK) Stadium in Miami will host this decisive match, determining which team advances to the quarterfinals to face either Cincinnati or Columbus Crew

The stakes are high; if Inter Miami fails to overcome Nashville on Sunday, Messi will finish the season without a trophy for the first time in two decades

Reports indicate that the Florida team has already lost every competition it competed in this season, exiting the Club World Cup Round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain, losing the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal to Vancouver, and falling in the U.S. Open Cup final to Seattle

Although Inter Miami is arguably the humblest stage in Messi’s career, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has won at least one title in each of the past two seasons with the American club

Messi hopes to add another trophy in 2025 to avoid a zero-title season, especially after claiming two titles since joining Inter Miami three years ago: the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 U.S. Open Cup Supporters’ Shield

Messi: most decorated player in history

Despite the current challenge, 38-year-old Messi remains the most decorated footballer in history, with a haul of 46 titles won with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami, and Argentina

Barcelona era (most successful): Messi’s time at Barcelona was the most triumphant, winning 35 trophies over 16 consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2021, including 4 UEFA Champions League titles, 10 La Liga titles, and 3 UEFA Super Cups. Paris Saint-Germain period: Even Messi’s single-season stint with PSG between 2021 and 2023 was not unproductive, earning two Ligue 1 titles and one French Super Cup. International level: Messi also won the 2022 Qatar World Cup, two Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, and several youth-level trophies with Argentina, including the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal

The match against Nashville is not merely an MLS fixture but a battle for Lionel Messi against his personal history, refusing to accept a season without any titles