Lionel Messi has been the most visible superstar in Major League Soccer since joining American club Inter Miami in the summer of 2023.
Not only does he bring to the U.S. league his legendary pedigree and globally elevated visibility but also sheer talent. Messi helped Inter Miami to the club's first two trophies in history, winning the Leagues Cup almost immediately after joining, before leading the Herons to the 2024 Supporters' Shield as regular season champions.
He has shown no signs of slowing down in 2025, leading the league in scoring with 18 goals in 18 matches this season. Thus, it's no surprise that Messi was selected to the MLS All-Star game this season, hoping to represent the league in its annual showcase match against Liga MX.
However, that would not come to pass as Messi's foreboding absence the day before led to confirmed fears on Wednesday that the Argentine would not play in the All-Star game. Major League Soccer's official roster for the game did not include Messi or his club teammate Jordi Alba, thus rendering him ineligible for the match, while an MLS spokesperson indicated he had not even made the trip to Austin.
He and Alba were summarily suspended one game for their actions — or lack thereof.
The Sporting News explains why Messi may have decided not to participate, and what consequences the decision had on his paycheck.
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Why did Lionel Messi missthe MLS All-Star game?
Lionel Messi's reason for skipping the 2025 MLS All-Star game is not definitively known, but there are a few sensible theories.
The most widely accepted (and reported) excuse for Messi to skip the All-Star game is simply to rest. Now 38 years old, Messi has had fitness concerns in the last few years which extensive minutes could exacerbate. With still months to go in the 2025 season, Messi has logged 2,481 minutes across all competitions for Inter Miami, playing the full 90 minutes in 26 of his 29 appearances this season while missing only four games.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Messi did not wish to risk a new injury or simply add to his minutes load by playing in the league's midseason exhibition match.
Another reason he is skipping the game could be due to injury, but nothing has been reported in that regard.
Lionel Messi suspension, explained
According to MLS regulations, any player named to the MLS All-Star team who opts not to participate in the match is required to sit out his club's next game. The league notified Inter Miami of its ruling to hand Messi and Alba one-match bans on Friday. Inter Miami plays FC Cincinnati at home on Saturday.
"I fully understand, respect, and admire his commitment to Inter Miami, and I respect his decision," MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a written statement. "Unfortunately, we have a long-standing policy regarding participation in the All-Star Game, and we had to enforce it. It was a very difficult decision.
The rule is meant to be a deterrent for selected players simply skipping the exhibition match to rest, which would likely leave the league with very few actual participants and a significant number of replacements required, diminishing the effectiveness of the event.
Although Romano's reporting indicates that Messi ditched the match in the hopes of preserving his health, the MLS policy is fairly cut-and-dry. Garber admitted that the league will re-evaluate its rule in the aftermath of Messi and Alba's suspensions.
"That said, we're going to take a hard look at the policy moving forward," Garber said. "I'm committed to working with our players to determine how the rule should evolve."
MLS's ruling represents not just a blow for Inter Miami in a critical match against the Eastern Conference leaders, but also for MLS, as the weekend match was selected to be broadcast live on national television. Certainly, Fox Sports will also be perturbed about their product on FS1 seeing Messi miss out, and will surely have concerns about this situation given their partnership with MLS.