After 20-plus years and somewhere north of 40 career trophies, the list of things Lionel Messi hasn't won is genuinely short. But it exists. And one gap in particular keeps getting wider.
The CONCACAF Champions Cup is turning into a recurring source of frustration for Inter Miami. Three attempts, three exits before the final. Quarterfinals in 2024, semifinals in 2025, and now — most recently in 2026 — a round of 16 elimination against Nashville. The second leg finished 1-1 at Chase Stadium after a goalless first leg, and the away goals rule sent Nashville through. A continental club title is the one piece of silverware Miami hasn't cracked, and each failed run makes the next attempt feel heavier.
What Messi has — and what's missing
At Barcelona, he collected 35 trophies. PSG added three more, including two Ligue 1 titles. With Miami, he's now won four: the 2023 Leagues Cup, the 2024 Supporters' Shield, the 2025 Eastern Conference Championship, and the MLS Cup that same year. The continental title is the one that got away.
There's also the Coupe de France — the only major European trophy he competed for but never lifted. Not through some catastrophic failure, just a gap in a otherwise near-complete European collection.
On the international side, the picture is richer. Olympic gold in 2008, a U-20 World Cup, two Copa América titles (2021, 2024), and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. What he's never done is win the Golden Boot at a World Cup — nominated seven times for the Puskás Award without ever taking it home, and never the outright top scorer at a major tournament despite winning the Golden Ball twice.
Argentina's group stage and what's at stake
That World Cup Golden Boot is now within reach. Argentina open Group J on June 16 against Algeria at Kansas City Stadium, then face Austria on June 22 in Dallas, and Jordan on June 27. The draw is manageable, the team is the defending champion, and Messi at 2026 is a different proposition than Messi at earlier tournaments — not physically, but in terms of what this squad has built together.
- June 16 — Argentina vs. Algeria, Kansas City Stadium
- June 22 — Argentina vs. Austria, Dallas Stadium
- June 27 — Argentina vs. Jordan, Dallas Stadium
Argentina defending the World Cup would be historic. The odds on them doing it are short enough that the value is questionable — but no one is ruling it out. The team that won in Qatar is largely intact, and they've continued winning under Scaloni.
As for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, Messi is contracted at Inter Miami through December 2028. There will be more chances. Three in a row without a final appearance, though, suggests Miami haven't quite cracked the formula yet — and the window isn't infinite.
