Leave it to MLS to make a Messi situation messier—with enough blame to fill a soccer goal.
Egos, arrogance, shortsightedness and dubious decision-making combined to create a combustible, unsurprising outcome after superstar Lionel Messi hijacked what was supposed to be one of the league’s premier showcases by skipping the MLS All-Star Game on July 23 in Austin, Texas, alongside Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba.
Backed into a corner, MLS Commissioner Don Garber was forced to enforce a rule stating that any player who misses the match without injury or a legitimate excuse must be suspended for a league match—in this case, a July 26 showdown with FC Cincinnati.
Inter Miami believed the All-Star Game against Liga MX, and the events leading up to it, were a waste of time and energy for Messi, considering his intense workload.
“I understand and respect his decision,” Garber said. “But we have a long-standing policy that is related to All-Star participation for all players. And unfortunately, I had to enforce the policy. It was a difficult decision to make.”
The Herons had just completed a grueling stretch: four Club World Cup games and five MLS matches over 35 days—Messi played 90 minutes in each. On top of that, they played eight CONCACAF Champions Cup matches between Feb. 19 and April 30 and 22 total MLS matches before the All-Star break.
After Garber announced the suspensions on July 25, Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas called the All-Star Game rule “draconian” and suggested the suspension could affect Messi’s decision to re-sign when his contract expires after the 2025 season.
“He’s very upset,” Mas said. “I’m hopeful it doesn’t have an impact long term.”
A multi-million-dollar peace offering in his next contract will probably soothe any bruised feelings.
Mas also claimed the club—not the players—decided Messi and Alba would skip the match and that they informed the league several days in advance.
That’s the core issue: Inter Miami assumed the participation rule didn’t apply to them and that Messi’s absence would be forgiven.
“We should have known earlier,” Garber said. “We should have addressed it earlier. No doubt about that.”
If anyone deserves a rebuke, it’s Garber. He should have addressed the situation long before it became a PR crisis. Yet the league didn’t make Messi and Alba’s absence official until the morning of the All-Star Game. Not a good look.
Garber has had 10 years to refine this rule, which was created in 2015 to stop players from feigning injuries to dodge the match. Just ask Zlatan Ibrahimović. In 2018, the LA Galaxy star was suspended for refusing to play in the All-Star Game. His response: “They do whatever they want. I come from a different world. I come from the real world.”
At least Messi’s in good company. NHL all-time goals leader Alex Ovechkin served one-game suspensions after opting out of the NHL All-Star Game in both 2019 and 2020.
Mas said Messi manages his own playing time, but first-year coach Javier Mascherano could have stepped in earlier—not necessarily to rest Messi for the All-Star Game itself, but to keep him fresher for the second half of the season.
On July 16, with Inter Miami down 3–0 in the 70th minute against FC Cincinnati, it would have been a good time to sub him out, especially during a grueling Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday schedule.
Or look at the July 19 match against the New York Red Bulls. Messi’s goal in the 60th minute made it 4–1. He could have been subbed out then—but stayed on, padded his stats, and scored again in the 75th.
Sure, it’s just a few minutes here and there. But maybe that extra rest could have opened the door to a compromise—perhaps showing up to the All-Star Game and playing 20 minutes to appease a sellout crowd. With privilege comes responsibility.
The optics are ugly. But don’t be surprised if one of Messi’s MLS legacies is a revised All-Star participation rule—with his name on it.
