Lionel Messi will not participate in Wednesday night’s 2025 MLS All-Star Game at Q2 Stadium, according to an updated roster sheet released late Wednesday morning. Messi did not travel to Austin and was not present for any part of the league’s showcase weekend.
Messi, arguably the greatest soccer player of all time and by far the league’s most popular player, is not injured, like he was at this time last year when he missed the 2024 All-Star Game. He has, in fact, been remarkably healthy and available this season at 38 years old, starting and playing all 90 minutes in 17 straight games for Inter Miami. He’s scored goals at a rate reminiscent of his FC Barcelona prime and is the runaway favorite for league MVP honors.
So why would a healthy Messi – along with his former Barça and current Miami teammate Jordi Alba – skip out on an All-Star Game when they’ve participated in dozens of money grab exhibition friendly matches across the globe throughout their careers? There’s been no official word given from Messi’s camp.
Leading up to All-Star Week, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano cited schedule congestion for not necessarily loving the idea of both players participating. Eventually, it might come out that Messi is nursing some bullshit “injury” like muscle fatigue that rendered 20 minutes of light jogging completely out of the question. But that still wouldn’t justify not showing up at all.
We can easily guess why Messi isn’t coming. Either A) he’s scared to death to be on the same pitch as old El Clásico rival Sergio Ramos once more, or B) because he just simply doesn’t feel like it. We’re gonna go with B, and that’s some weak shit.
Yes, when you’re one of the most revered and accomplished athletes in human history, you get away with stuff others don’t. If Messi had opted out of all other All-Star activities – training sessions, media appearances, the Skills Challenge – landed at Austin Executive Airport at 5pm Wednesday, played in the match for 20 minutes, and was wheels up back for South Florida before the final whistle, nobody would’ve had much of an issue.
But not showing up at all? That’s unacceptable. Major League Soccer and Apple pay Messi upwards of $20 million – and that’s just what’s on the books – to be the face of MLS. The league and Inter Miami have bent over backwards to put Messi in a situation where he feels comfortable, and it seems to have worked, with Messi having declared on record that Inter Miami will be his “last club.” The only thing being asked of Messi in return? Show up.
To his credit, he has, for the most part, as outlined above. His production has even led some to wonder out loud if MLS is too easy for him. What’s wrong with opting out of a silly All-Star Game?
Well, while it may not be the pinnacle of prestigious competition, the MLS All-Star Game is one of the league’s highest-profile nights, where real potential exists to garner some mainstream attention and win a few fans. For Apple, it could mean a handful of new MLS Season Pass subscribers, which it can desperately use. The magnitude of the event goes up tenfold if Messi is involved.
So yes, Messi could – and should – have done MLS and Apple a solid by showing face. But really, this is more about what happens now that he won’t.
Throughout Messi’s career, there hasn’t been a whole lot to criticize. He’s famously soft-spoken, doesn’t make a big deal of himself, and has historically been a great teammate. The reputation he’s crafted over two decades in the spotlight isn’t just admirable, it’s incredibly valuable, both to his legacy and to his bank account.
For many fans, especially in the U.S. and Mexico, he’s putting that reputation in jeopardy this week. The no-show is a terrible look for the Argentine No. 10, who comes across like an enormous diva, like something as silly as an All-Star Game is beneath him.
Messi’s decision not to show up for one night in Austin is a huge middle finger to MLS and its fans.
Sorry, not buying that one. If cringe commercials for soda, chips, and beer aren’t beneath him, if being an official tourism ambassador for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia isn’t beneath him, then an All-Star Game is certainly not beneath him. It’s always been clear that Messi can be bought. So why would this time be any different, given the king’s ransom he gets paid to play soccer in the States?
Simply put, Messi’s decision not to show up for one night in Austin is a huge middle finger to MLS and its fans. And for what? A couple of extra days in Fort Lauderdale? In July? Give me a break.
Now, MLS has some tough questions to answer. Did it know Messi was always a long shot for the game, but promoted him anyway, even going so far as to nominate him in a fan poll to decide the MLS team captain? (Sidenote: The league hilariously announced today that FC Cincinnati’s Evander “won” that vote… yeah, I’m so sure.) If so, the league screwed 20,000 people out of price-gouged tickets thinking they’d bought a chance to see the GOAT.
Does MLS invoke its rule that players who skip the All-Star Game without injury incur an automatic one-game suspension? Doing so might only exacerbate an already embarrassing situation for league commissioner Don Garber.
There are no good answers. And while Wednesday night’s All-Star Game is still likely to be a fun, exciting night of soccer, it will be overshadowed by the absence of the league’s best player. What could have been a seminal occasion for MLS, and for Austin, is now a letdown. And it just didn’t have to be that way. You missed the forest through the trees on this one, Mr. Messi. You may not give a shit, but we won’t soon forget.
For more MLS news and analysis, visit The Austin Chronicle‘s Austin FC hub. Follow The Verde Report columnist Eric Goodman on X: @goodman.
This article appears in July 18 • 2025.
