Messi Doesn’t Understand How Skipping An Exhibition Match Earned Him A Ban – Inter Miami

Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas has said that Lionel Messi is extremely upset after being issued a one-game suspension by Major League Soccer for not participating in Wednesday’s All-Star Game. He recently labeled the punishment “draconian,” and fans have been reacting.

According to him, Messi and Alba are furious with their ban because they are two competitive players who do not understand why failing to attend an exhibition match directly leads to a suspension.

Mas added that both players understand the magnitude of the competitive game they’ve been banned for, so their anger is justified.

His words, “Lionel Messi is very upset, like we all are in the club, with the fact that they won’t be able to play tomorrow night. But I think what we have to do as a club is to get together as one, have an attitude that is us against the world.

I think that the punishment for the rule is frankly draconian.

Obviously, it was not a positive reaction [from Messi and Alba]. They want to compete, they want to play games. That’s what they’re here for, to play and win. They understand the magnitude of tomorrow’s night’s game.

So no, their reaction was exactly as expected 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.”

WOW.

Lionel Andrés Messi, also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards and a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 he was named to the Ballon d’Or Dream Team.

Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 35 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and the UEFA Champions League four times.

With his country, he won the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (eight), and most assists in La Liga (192) and the Copa América (17).

He also has the most international goals by a South American male (103). Messi has scored over 800 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player for a single club (672).