Miami co-owner: Messi 'extremely upset' with ban for All-Star Game absence
Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas is worried about the future of Lionel Messi's relationship with Major League Soccer after the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and his teammate Jordi Alba were suspended for one match after skipping Wednesday's MLS All-Star Game.
"He's very upset, extremely upset today, as expected," Mas said, according to The Athletic's Paul Tenorio. "I'm hopeful it doesn't have an impact long-term. Will it have an impact initially, in the players' perception of how the league rules work? Absolutely no doubt."
Messi and Alba will both miss Saturday's visit from FC Cincinnati because league rules state "any player who does not participate in the All-Star Game without prior approval from the league is ineligible to compete in their club's next match," an MLS statement read Friday. Messi and Alba had returned to Inter Miami training shortly before MLS announced their suspensions.
MLS commissioner Don Garber told The Athletic's Paul Tenorio after Messi and Alba's bans that the league would reconsider the policy for future All-Star Games. He also said "nobody has done more for Major League Soccer than Lionel Messi" and backed the attacker's decision to skip the match against the Liga MX All-Stars to prioritize being fit for Inter Miami.
Miami head coach Javier Mascherano said Messi missed the All-Star Game due to fatigue, while Alba was recovering from a knock from the team's match last weekend. Mas said their omission from the MLS squad in Austin, Texas, was made by the club because "they were coming off a run of nine games in 35 days."
Messi's importance to Inter Miami was underlined over his last five MLS outings - the superstar scored eight goals and provided two assists to help his side win four games.
"The reaction was exactly as expected out of two competitive players who don’t understand the decision, who don't understand why not attending an exhibition match leads directly to a suspension. The rule is what it is, but they don’t understand it," Mas said of the pair's response to the bans.
"The punishment is, frankly, draconian," he added, according to GiveMeSport's Tom Bogert.
Messi also missed the 2024 MLS All-Star Game. On that occasion, the decorated veteran was nursing an ankle injury he suffered on Argentina duty.
The timing of Messi's apparent frustration with MLS isn't ideal. The former Barcelona forward's talks over a new Inter Miami contract were reportedly at an advanced stage in April, but the 38-year-old still hasn't officially signed fresh terms. His current deal expires at the end of the 2025 MLS season, and he's often been the subject of rumored interest from the Saudi Pro League since his Paris Saint-Germain exit in 2023.
Messi is the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer with a guaranteed compensation of $20.4 million in 2025, which is over 70% more than CF Montreal's overall compensation. With his signing-on fee and equity in the club, Sportico's Kurt Badenhausen reported in 2023 that he would earn up to $150 million over the duration of his two-and-a-half-year contract in Miami. Those sums don't include his non-playing income, such as his revenue-sharing agreement with MLS broadcaster Apple and his sponsorship deal with Adidas.