Football General Manager
- Messi, Alba off final MLS ASG roster
- Alba skipped Tuesday’s Skills Challenge
- Messi, Alba face suspension, per MLS rules
AUSTIN, Texas – Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba will not play in Wednesday’s All-Star Game, as both were left off the final roster, as confirmed by the league. Top MLS players will face the Liga MX All-Stars at Q2 Stadium.
Messi and Alba both skipped this week’s All-Star training events, and the latter didn’t play at the Skills Challenge on Tuesday night despite being named to the initial event roster. Per MLS rules, the two Inter Miami stars could face suspension, unless there is a valid medical reason for not participating.
Throughout the week, several MLS All-Stars expressed their excitement about the potential to play with Messi.
“It will be amazing. It’s a great experience to play with the greatest player in the history of the sport. I’m sure I’ll really enjoy it,” Cristian Espinoza told BALLGM.
Some stars, though, expressed surprise that neither participated this week.
“Am I surprised? Maybe a little bit because they were on the roster, but they’ve got their own individual things going on,” Diego Luna said Tuesday.
According to The Athletic, Inter Miami communicated to the MLS that neither Messi nor Alba would travel to Texas to play in the match. The league hasn’t confirmed whether there will be suspensions. Miami return to MLS play on Saturday.
“The league office needs to speak with the club before we confirm player availability for Saturday,” a spokesperson said.
MLS has typically showcased its biggest stars at its midsummer showcase, with stars such as David Beckham, Kaka and Thierry Henry all featuring. The previous high-profile absence was when Zlatan Ibrahimovic decided to skip the 2018 game, which led to the then-LA Galaxy star being suspended.
“It think it is ridiculous, but yeah, no comments,” Ibrahimovic said of the league’s discipline. “They do whatever they want. I come from a different world, I come from the real world.
Ibrahimovic did play in the 2019 edition. Messi’s situation is potentially more delicate as the Argentine is in contract negotiations with Inter Miami and MLS to potentially extend his stay in the North American top flight. Miami are also reportedly close to signing his close friend, Rodrigo de Paul, from Atletico Madrid.
The 29th edition of the MLS All-Star Game will be played Wednesday night in Austin, with top MLS players taking on Liga MX All-Stars.
