"We continue to prepare" - Lionel Messi posts message on social media following Inter Miami's 4-3 loss to Al-Hilal
Lionel Messi posted a motivational message on Instagram after Inter Miami suffered a 4-3 loss at the hands of Al-Hilal in the Riyadh Season Cup on January 29.
Messi's Inter Miami have had a sluggish start to their pre-season campaign before the 2024 MLS season. They hadn't scored a goal before yesterday, enduring a goalless draw against El Salvador and a 1-0 loss to FC Dallas.
After the Al-Hilal clash, Messi posted a post on Instagram with a caption, which translated as:
"We continue to prepare"
Although the Argentine himself grabbed a goal, it wasn't enough to prevent the Herons from getting a result from the game. New arrival and his former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez also got on the scoresheet. Inter Miami turned a 3-1 deficit at halftime into a 3-3 scoreline by the 55th minute.
However, their defense fell apart right at the death as Malcom scored in the 88th minute to take Al-Hilal to victory.
Inter Miami kickstart their 2024 MLS campaign against Real Salt Lake on February 22. Before that, they have more games against Hong Kong XI, Vissel Kobe, and Newell's Old Boys, but the biggest game of them all is their very next one.
Up next, Inter Miami have a mouth-watering showdown against Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr on February 1. Ever since the Riyadh Season Cup was announced, with this matchup as part of the fixtures, social media has been head over heels for it.
Al-Nassr have scored 55 goals in 19 games in the Saudi Pro League this season. Moreover, with Messi's Miami just finding their goalscoring form, this fixture promises to be an incredible duel.
Messi has now scored in every calendar year since 2005 after an impactful performance against Al-Hilal
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner slotted a penalty away in the 54th minute of the game against Al-Hilal. As a result, Lionel Messi achieved the feat of having scored in 20 straight calendar years from 2005 to 2024.
His most prolific goal-scoring year was, of course, in 2012 when he scored a staggering 91 goals in just 69 games. He has scored more than 50 goals in six seasons across his career, with the latest one being in the 2018-19 season for Barcelona.
The Argentine also played a sumptuous ball for David Ruiz against Al-Hilal on Monday in the 55th minute. The two minutes of madness brought Inter Miami back into the game at 3-3. However, it is very obvious where they have to improve if they are to stand a chance for the 2024 MLS title - their defense.
Although goalkeeper Drake Callender has been having a purple patch, even a five-man Miami defense couldn't stop Al-Hilal from netting four past them. David Beckham co-owned side will arguably need to recruit more defensive depth to help the Herons get to the MLS title.