Vini Jr has proven he belongs among the world's elite

The Ballon d'Or moves ever closer for Vinicius Jr

Adeyemi's missed chances ultimately doom Dortmund

Madrid are inevitable! Carvajal & Vini Jr the UCL heroes

Earps injury haunts Lionesses as England fail France test

Men's T20 Cricket World Cup 2024 Schedule & results 

Ballon d'Or Rankings: Wirtz's hopes fade after UEL heartbreak

'Vibes man' Ancelotti the best manager of his generation

Transfers LIVE: Man Utd want Wolves' Cunha in £60m deal

Why Rob & Ryan don’t have to be ‘careful’ in transfer window

CR7 loses another trophy! Al-Hilal win chaotic King's Cup final

Kane, Bellingham & GOAL's 2023-24 Team of the Season

Three clubs race to sign Martial after Man Utd exit

Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues below<ul><li>Argentine superstar now in the States</li><li>Inspired one trophy win</li><li>Missed out on other major honours</li></ul><script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script>

Has Lionel Messi’s debut season at Inter Miami been a success? USMNT star DeAndre Yedlin explains why it isn't despite historic Leagues Cup triumph

Major League Soccer

Philadelphia Union

Inter Miami CF

The Florida-based outfit <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/news/sergio-aguero-lionel-messi-cracked-up-screenshot-inter-miami-bottom-mls-eastern-conference/blt0452b95c6a57374f" target="_blank">endured a disastrous start to the current campaign</a>, but saw collective fortunes improve dramatically once <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/secret-meetings-10-year-project-how-david-beckham-signed-lionel-messi-inter-miami-co-owner/bltcc28a521e2bdff22 " target="_blank">seven-time Ballon d’Or Messi was welcomed onto the books</a> at DRV PNK Stadium over the summer.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Messi made an immediate impact, <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/44-trophies-lionel-messi-all-time-record-very-good-hands-inter-miami-tata-martino-historic-leagues-cup/blt4c0a84c28d5bf241 " target="_blank">inspiring Inter Miami to Leagues Cup glory</a> within weeks of his arrival, but <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/lists/will-lionel-messi-play-again-this-season-inter-miami-tata-martino-injury-update-mls-play-offs/blt6fa6902208c20735 " target="_blank">an unfortunate injury saw him sit out the U.S. Open Cup final</a> and the closing stages of a failed bid to reach the MLS play-offs. USMNT star Yedlin has said when summing up the season as a whole: “If you were to say in June that we’re going to end the season with a trophy, you’d probably deem it a success. But after July, if you’re to say you’re going to end with only one trophy, you probably wouldn’t deem it a success. It’s how you look at it. As professionals, we want to win everything. So, for me, it’s not a success. We won the first trophy in club history, and that’s great, but we could have won Open Cup and wanted more from the play-offs.”

WHAT THEY SAID

Goalkeeper Drake Callender – who has also forced his way into the United States national team squad – believes there is cause for optimism at Inter Miami heading forward, with his assessment going: “If you look at 2023 as a whole, we won Leagues Cup, we made it to the final of Open Cup, and unfortunately, we won’t be going any further in the league, but to make two finals and win one is a good sign we are headed the right direction. But not making the play-offs hurts. We want to win it all. For the next two games, we will be playing for pride and setting the stage for next year.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi’s 2023 campaign at club level may have already come to a close, but he will be back for more in 2024 – having <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/lists/lionel-messi-inter-miami-contract-wages-cristiano-ronaldo/blt11e2d05b108b1895" target="_blank">committed to an initial two-and-a-half-year contract</a> – and will be hoping to challenge for more honours next term once fully settled in new surroundings.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Has Lionel Messi’s debut season at Inter Miami been a success? USMNT star DeAndre Yedlin explains why it isn’t despite historic Leagues Cup triumph | Goal.com United Arab Emirates

DeAndre Yedlin claims Inter Miami’s 2023 season, with Lionel Messi helping to deliver a historic Leagues Cup win, cannot be considered a success.

Has Lionel Messi’s debut season at Inter Miami been a success? USMNT star DeAndre Yedlin explains why it isn&apos;t despite historic Leagues Cup triumph