Seattle Sounders thrash Inter Miami 3-0 in Leagues Cup final: Is this Lionel Messi’s toughest loss in a final?

The Seattle Sounders lifted the 2025 Leagues Cup in front of a packed Lumen Field, defeating Inter Miami 3-0 in dominant fashion. Seattle controlled the first half, built a commanding lead, and managed the game comfortably in the second to seal the trophy. After such a flat performance from Miami, questions quickly emerged about whether this marked Lionel Messi’s toughest defeat in a final.

In a game that set an all-time record for the Leagues Cup, the Sounders struck first with a header from Osaze De Rosario in the 26th minute of a one-sided opening half. Inter Miami controlled much of the ball after halftime, but a well-organized Seattle side punished them late, as Alex Roldan converted a penalty in the 84th minute and Paul Rothrock sealed the result with a goal in the 89th.

Despite the heavy loss, Sunday’s result with Inter Miami was not Messi’s worst in a championship decider. His two biggest defeats in finals came during his FC Barcelona days in the Spanish Super Cup, which at the time was played over two legs. The first came in 2015 against Athletic Bilbao, when Barca were thrashed 4-0 in the opening leg at San Mamés before managing only a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou. That series ended with a 5-1 aggregate scoreline and a four-goal deficit.

Two years later, in 2017, Messi and Barcelona endured another painful Super Cup defeat, this time against Real Madrid. Barca fell 3-1 at the Camp Nou in the first leg, then suffered a 2-0 loss at the Santiago Bernabeu. Once again, the final ended 5-1 on aggregate, matching the margin of the Athletic Bilbao defeat.

Other finals with similar scorelines

Messi has become synonymous with success in global sports, holding the record for the most trophies won in a career. For a player so accustomed to lifting silverware, simply losing a final is a rarity. While his heaviest defeats have typically come in two-legged ties, he has also endured a handful of 3-0 losses in single-match deciders earlier in his career apart from this Leagues Cup final.

The first one came in the 2006 UEFA Super Cup, with Barcelona, reigning winners of the UEFA Champions League, facing Sevilla, winners of the UEFA Europa League. With Messi being the piece of the left in the attacking trio of Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o, Sevilla dominated the Blaugrana in a 3-0 win.

Then, another humilliating loss in a final came, in this case wearing the Argentina national team jersey. Wearing the number 18, Messi reached his first final with Argentina in the 2007 Copa America hosted in Venezuela, but Brazil, with goals from Julio Baptista, Roberto Ayala (own goal), and Dani Alves claimed the South American trophy.