Lionel Messi continues to produce goals and eye-catching individual performances, yet victories have become increasingly difficult for his Inter Miami side. The Argentine superstar scored again in the club’s latest Major League Soccer defeat, but his contribution was not enough to prevent another disappointing result.

Now, Inter Miami face a match that carries an unusual significance for Messi. If they fail to win against CF Montréal on 30 September, the Florida club will go five consecutive matches without a victory. According to Spanish publication AS, such a run would also mark the first time since 2013 that Messi has been involved with a team going five matches without a win during his professional career.

Inter Miami will meet Montréal at NÜ Stadium in a match that has taken on added importance after a series of dropped points. The club’s immediate concern is to halt the slide before it develops into a more serious problem.

Their latest setback came against Toronto FC, who secured a 2–1 victory. Messi was on the scoresheet for Inter Miami, but his goal could not prevent the side from suffering another defeat. His continued ability to find the net has therefore offered little consolation as the team struggles to turn individual moments of quality into results.

The run of poor results has also increased pressure on head coach Guillermo Hoyos. Accepting responsibility for the situation, Hoyos acknowledged that the team’s current difficulties were causing frustration and concern.

The coach’s comments underline the growing need for a response on the pitch. For a side built around one of the greatest players in football history, repeated failures to collect points inevitably attract attention. Messi’s presence raises expectations, but even his individual brilliance cannot compensate indefinitely for shortcomings across the team.

Inter Miami have experienced a similar spell before. Last season, the club went four matches without a win, recording two defeats and two draws during that period. They eventually responded emphatically, winning five consecutive matches to bring the difficult spell to an end.

That previous recovery could offer some encouragement. The current situation, however, has arrived at a particularly delicate moment, with Messi once again carrying much of the attacking responsibility.

The Montréal fixture will therefore be about more than simply ending a poor run. A victory would restore confidence and prevent Inter Miami from reaching a five-match winless sequence associated with one of the rarest stretches of Messi’s long professional career.

Messi’s last such experience came in 2013, during his Barcelona years. More than a decade later, the prospect of repeating that unwanted sequence has emerged in a very different stage of his career, this time in Major League Soccer.

For Inter Miami, the solution is straightforward: they need results. Messi may continue to score, but the club’s ambitions will ultimately depend on converting those individual performances into victories. The meeting with Montréal could provide the opportunity to do exactly that.