Lionel Messi has supposedly drawn the curtain on his 21-year international career after playing his final fixture for three-time world champions Argentina earlier this week. Playing in front of a packed crowd exceeding 85,000 spectators at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, the 39-year-old forward purportedly delivered a masterclass performance, contributing one goal and two assists in a 3-0 friendly victory over Benin.

With his international chapter officially closed, Messi's immediate responsibility is reportedly to lift Inter Miami out of a troubling five-match winless streak in Major League Soccer (MLS) ahead of their home fixture against DC United on Saturday. Despite sitting third in the Eastern Conference standings, the American club has managed only a single victory in their last ten league encounters, highlighting persistent structural and tactical vulnerabilities within the squad.

Recently appointed head coach Kily Gonzalez allegedly stated on Friday that Messi constantly demands maximum effort and total commitment from every member of the team on a daily basis. Notwithstanding the veteran player's stellar individual contributions this season — boasting 21 goals and 13 assists in league play — the collective output of the Miami roster continues to fall short of expectations.

Meanwhile, opponents DC United are likewise struggling to break a three-month slump, remaining desperate for a victory to bridge the three-point gap separating them from the conference playoff positions. Although Inter Miami secured a narrow 2-1 victory in their previous encounter back in March, both sides now enter the weekend fixture under immense pressure to reverse their downward trajectories.

Source: www.aljazeera.com