"Messi deserves Ballon d'Or if this team makes playoffs" - Fans react as Inter Miami go 11 games without a win after loss to St. Louis

Fans believe Lionel Messi should win the 2023 Ballon d'Or if he guides Inter Miami to the Major League Soccer playoffs, with the Herons winless in 11 games in the division.

Inter Miami had a great start to Saturday (July 15) as they officially announced Messi's arrival. However, things went downhill from there, with St. Louis handing them a 3-0 thrashing in the MLS. New manager Tata Martino's first game in charge of the Herons thus didn't go to plan.

The Florida-based club are in a dire situation as they sit at the bottom of MLS's East Conference table and the whole league. They only have 18 points after 22 games and are 12 points behind a playoff spot. The DRV PNK Stadium outfit are also winless in 11 league games, with their last victory coming against New England Revolution in May.

Messi, 36, has his work cut out for him and faces an uphill task to help Inter Miami secure a Round One qualification. The Argentinian icon will hope that the arrival of Sergio Busquets and potentially Jordi Alba will help him turn things around for his new team.

Fans, meanwhile, think the former Barcelona superstar should win the 2023 Ballon d'Or if he guides the club to the playoffs, with one tweeting:

"Messi deserves Ballon d'Or if this team makes playoffs."

Here are some more reactions to Inter Miami going winless in 11 games:

A part of the reason why Inter Miami are in this situation is because they witheld resources for signings in the summer with the hope that La Pulga would join them. Long-term injuries to key players Gregore and Jean Mota have not helped their cause either.

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Lionel Messi lands #4 in Ballon d'Or power rankings

Lionel Messi is among the favorites to win the Ballon d'Or this year. He put himself in a strong position to bag the accolode after guiding Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory in Qatar last December. The superstar bagged seven goals and three assists in seven games at the tournament.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner netted nine goals and provided six assists for previous employers Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2023. He also helped the French giants win Ligue 1. The left-footed maestro registered another five goals and one assist in international friendlies to boost his credentials.

However, the former Barcelona superstar was still placed fourth in OneFootball's recent 2023 Ballon d'Or power rankings. Manchester City duo Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne, and PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe have been placed above him.