Ever since joining MLS last season, Inter Miami CF’s Lionel Messi has effectively become the face of the league’s news cycle. From grocery store excursions to teammate reunions, the media frenzy has often focused more on off-field activities than those on the pitch.
To simplify this mess, here are the two most recent need-to-know tidbits about the soccer star, and the implications that could reverberate to San Diego.
Messi might leave.
When the Argentine star picked Miami as his out-of-Europe landing spot, many believed it would be his final destination. His two-and-a-half-year contract, estimated to be worth around $150 million, includes an ownership stake in Inter Miami upon retirement and $20.4 million in guaranteed compensation this year — a sum greater than the payroll of 22 out of 29 MLS clubs.
However, Messi has been adamant about retiring at Argentine side Newell’s Old Boys, his boyhood club, since his time in Barcelona. The prodigy was nabbed out of his home country by the Catalan giants at 13 years old, making his potential homecoming over two decades in the making. The only deterrent for this move is the country’s rampant criminal activity; despite a recent decline, Argentina still boasts a crime rate that ranks among the top 20 in the world, according to the World Population Review.
Whether or not he returns to Argentina, Messi’s four injuries and two rest breaks last season suggest that MLS may need to look for a new face of the league sooner rather than later. San Diego could host such a player if the newly-established San Diego FC’s rumored bid for Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne comes to fruition.
The Belgian midfielder has been largely absent from City’s squad since sustaining a hamstring injury in September and will likely need to take a pay cut if he wishes to continue in the top-flight European leagues come next summer. SDFC, who can sign up to three Designated Players with unlimited acquisition fees, has offered to match City’s $20 million salary. SDFC also has a location advantage against the wealthy Saudi Pro League, whose offers De Bruyne has dismissed due to concerns about raising their son in the Middle East.
This move would strengthen an already promising SDFC roster. The club made waves earlier this year after signing Mexican forward Hirving “Chucky” Lozano as its first Designated Player and Nottingham Forest youngster Alex Mighten in August. The addition of De Bruyne could get the team off to a hot start in its first seasons — an established trend in MLS; St. Louis City SC finished top of the Western Conference table in its first season, and Atlanta United FC won the MLS Cup in its second.
Messi lost.
Inter Miami’s untimely exit in the first round of the MLS playoffs was perhaps the only recent headline covering Messi’s in-game activities. The Herons kicked off the three-game series with a win and a loss against Atlanta United by identical 2–1 scorelines; Messi played all 180 minutes, but he scored no goals.
Their make-or-break third match at home saw Inter Miami outplay Atlanta by every metric, including 10 shots on target compared to United’s four, one of which was headed in by Messi. Nevertheless, Atlanta came out on top, 3–2, thanks to a clinical header from Bartosz Slisz in the 76th minute.
This loss marks one of the most notable upsets in MLS history. Inter Miami recruited fellow former Barcelona stars Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez who joined Messi on their way to the MLS Supporters’ Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular season record. Atlanta United stood 34 points behind the leaders, sneaking into the playoffs as the ninth-place squad in the Eastern Conference.
Despite this first-round exit, the club is still tapped as one of 32 teams to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup, a global quadrennial tournament taking place in the United States next summer. Inter Miami earned its spot through its host-nation status, bypassing the four-year performance meritocracy requirement. Fans expressed outrage at this unfair treatment as the club, established in 2020, has never won the MLS Cup.
The fact that none of the other 11 clubs hosting matches received free entry into the competition only added to their frustration. The only other MLS team to make the cut, the Seattle Sounders, have finished No. 2 in the Western Conference in all but one season since 2020; the team won the Concacaf Champions Cup in the outlying 2022 campaign.
San Diego soccer fans will have to make the familiar trek north to the Rose Bowl to watch these fixtures. FIFA conducts performance assessments every four years for the quadrennial contest, so SDFC will have no chance of qualifying for the next iteration either. The team will play its first season in March 2025, meaning its fourth season will end after the decision-making process for the 2029 Club World Cup will have concluded.
There is still much up in the air about Lionel Messi’s potential transfer, and he still has a full season left on his Miami contract. The moving parts will settle with time, but for now, American soccer fans can enjoy renewed excitement about the MLS playoffs.
Atlanta United takes on Orlando City next Sunday in the semi-finals, with the Los Angeles Galaxy and Minnesota United FC also slated to play that day. Saturday hosts the other two matchups, featuring Los Angeles FC up against the Seattle Sounders and New York City FC versus the New York Red Bulls.
