"They gave you keys of the kingdom, not to bow out in three games to Atlanta" - Pundit slams Lionel Messi after Inter Miami's play-off exit

Former USMNT international Herculez Gomez recently slammed Lionel Messi for Inter Miami bowing out of the MLS Play-offs. The Herons bowed out of the championship in the first round of the playoffs after 2-1 and 3-2 losses to Atlanta United in a best-of-three format.

Lionel Messi's first full season in the MLS came with both its successes and failures. The Argentine superstar joined the David Beckham co-owned franchise in the summer of 2023 and led them to win the 2023 Leagues Cup. His first full season began in 2024, where he contributed 23 goals and 13 assists in 25 appearances for Inter Miami.

This season, Messi led the Herons to win the 2024 Supporters' Shield. However, Inter Miami bowed out of the 2024 Leagues Cup in Messi's absence owing to an ankle injury. The Herons were then eliminated from the MLS playoffs in November 2024.

In an interview on ESPN’s Futbol Americas podcast, ex-USMNT star and pundit Gomez criticized Lionel Messi for being unable to lead the Herons to the MLS Cup. He said (via GOAL):

"Inter Miami has the best player of all time on their roster, who by the way is league MVP. They gave you keys of the kingdom, not to bow out in three games to Atlanta United, to a 9th place team, to Rob Valentino who no longer was the team interim coach at Atlanta United. In three games, they couldn’t beat Brad Guzan."

He added:

"It’s one of the biggest failures in MLS’ history and you damn well know. Every exec Don Garber, whatever hair he had on top of his head was pulling it out, you had one job. It’s one of the biggest failures I’ve seen in North American sports in quite some time."

Lionel Messi is set to remain at Inter Miami for the upcoming 2025 MLS season. He is expected to return to the pitch for the pre-season in January with the new MLS season set to begin in February.

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Lionel Messi linked to a surprise loan move to Manchester City from Inter Miami: Reports

Messi for Inter Miami - Source: Getty

According to reports by Tuttosport, Manchester City are keen on signing Lionel Messi on a six-month loan deal in the January transfer window. Co-owner David Beckham is reportedly not likely to stop the move.

Manchester City has been struggling to find their past glory this season. The Sky Blues have lost nine out of their last 12 games across competitions, recording only one win. The defending English champions are seventh in the Premier League table with 27 points off 17 games.

The aforementioned report suggests that Pep Guardiola is keen on bringing Lionel Messi to Etihad to ease their situation. The Catalan coach had a magical run with the Argentine legend at Barcelona between 2008 and 2012. Messi is often considered to have reached his peak during Guardiola's tenure at Barcelona.

A Messi-Guardiola reunion in the Premier League would be great news for fans. However, the new MLS season is set to begin in February and it remains to be seen if Inter Miami is ready to part with their best player for six months.