How the Club World Cup, MLS and the Coldplay “Kiss Cam” are all intertwined with Lionel Messi

28.07.2025, 20:27 sbnation.com

Could the Club World Cup have anything to do with Lionel Messi’s current drama when it comes to skipping out on July’s Major League Soccer All-Star Game?

It’s hard to not connect the dots.

Last week, Messi and Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba, received one-game suspensions after opting to not play in MLS’ annual All-Star Game against the all-stars from Mexico’s Liga MX.

MLS states that players who were called up to the All-Star roster and refuse without giving prior consent will serve a match ban. MLS Commissioner Don Garber upheld the league’s decision — albeit somewhat reluctantly — but the fallout and debate from the decision has been rampant, with much of it all stemming from Inter Miami’s involvement in the Club World Cup.

Miami made it to the knockout stage of the tournament amid an already congested MLS schedule that saw Inter playing as much as three games in a week before the start of the tournament.

And while some would suggest that due to MLS’s later start of the season, having a February-December slate as opposed to the customary model of having matches from August to May, Messi has played in fewer matches that other clubs that competed in the tournament.

While having to serve a suspension, Messi and his wife Antonella made sure to make the most of it, attending a Coldplay concert in Miami and getting caught on what is the now infamous Coldplay “Kiss Cam.”

Lionel Messi, wife have Coldplay ‘kiss cam’ concert moment after controversial MLS suspension https://t.co/WNUwfPU8zE pic.twitter.com/MPEKXYX8P7— New York Post (@nypost)

Still when talking about arguably still one of the world’s greatest players opting to miss an All-Star Game some would argue is meaningless, it’s surprising that the league would impose its ban. This is the sentiment of Miami head coach and former Messi teammate at Barcelona Javier Mascherano, who told ESPN that the decision to ban both players, but particularly Messi felt a little bait-and-switch.

“What I do find strange is that one day they say one thing and the next day they make a completely different decision,” Mascherano said according to an ESPN report. ”Because we all heard what was said, that it was understandable, given the number of games he’d been playing. We didn’t ask for it to be handled differently.”

This season, the 38-year-old Messi, has competed in 18 matches with 17 starts, logging over 1,500 minutes on the field in MLS play. He has 18 goals and nine assists for the club which currently sits third in MLS’ Eastern Conference standings.

He’s also the league’s highest paid player, earning $20.5 million per season to take place in competitions for Miami, it’s latest coming up on Wednesday for the start of MLS’ annual Leagues Cup tournament. Leagues Cup, which pits MLS clubs up against some of the best within Mexico’s Liga MX, has Miami playing Atlas (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

It was the Leagues Cup that made Messi into an overnight sensation two seasons ago, when he led Inter to its first ever trophy in his first season in the league.