“Lionel Messi is quickly becoming a villain in the eyes of neutral MLS fans,” remarked renowned American journalist Favian Renkel, adding, “The league’s MVP isn’t doing himself any favors when it comes to winning over supporters outside of Miami.” And the reason is simple: his absence from yesterday’s All-Star game between the best of MLS and Liga MX. But does his no-show really deserve this much discussion, especially after a 3-1 win for the American All-Stars in what was essentially an exhibition match? At least Liverpool icon Steve Nicol thinks so.

Agreed. Perhaps the MLS All-Star game is the only major event that sets the regular season matches apart from the rest of the global soccer landscape. To build on Favian Renkel’s point, just a few clips featuring La Pulga for a couple of minutes would have generated a massive interest among fans across the world, especially among those who don’t even know what an All-Star game is. But what about the time when a name like Messi didn’t exist in the league?

Did a “sell-out” crowd and millions of viewership actually matter for All-Star games back then? If no, then what changed? For someone who has spent a couple of years in the American domestic scene, that too, from 1999 to 2001, he may give the best take for the least. “It definitely mattered to the players,” began Nicol during a chat in the ESPN FC newsroom, “and there was never a game that wasn’t sold out, so it clearly matters to fans. People in this country enjoy that game.”

Well, another argument surfaced around the fact that, in recent years, MLS has largely received acceptance only from Liga MX when it comes to All-Star Game invitations. For context, the last time they scheduled a match against a renowned international club was in 2022, when they suffered a 5-0 defeat to Arsenal. Still, they have been getting sold-out crowds and will get in the future too, as nothing has truly changed over the years in anyway.

That’s why Steve Nicol believes that the Argentine forward not voluntarily showing up—despite being the league’s biggest star—is hardly the real problem. “As I said, it’s still going to be sold out. And this time next week, do you think anybody’s going to be talking about Messi not going [to the All-Star game]? Anybody who’s bought a ticket for this game, I don’t believe, is going to be complaining that Messi didn’t turn up.“

“This time next year, whether Messi is still in MLS or not, this game will be a sellout, and people will go and enjoy it. So, nothing’s changed,” concluded Nicol, essentially backing the league to attract crowds not solely because of the 8-time Ballon d’Or winner, but because the All-Star Game itself is a strong selling point.

Notably, the dust is yet to settle regarding the absence of Leo Messi from the All-Star game as he faces a potential risk of missing Saturday’s clash against FC Cincinnati. Joining him can also be Jordi Alba, who was also voted to make the team. However, per the MLS rule book, as both players failed to make the All-Star event without a legitimate medical excuse, they shall earn a one-game suspension.

While some are in favor of this punishment, others aren’t, arguing the decision might prove to be excessive, also noting that the former Catalan icon had featured in almost every game and had surely earned a break, especially for a non-competitive exhibition match.

Add to that his impressive tally of 16 goals in just 17 MLS appearances, and it’s no surprise his coach, Javier Mascherano, voiced concern over his physical condition, emphasizing that the World Cup champion needed time off. That break eventually came, but it ended up costing MLS. Will that force the league’s stakeholders to take an actionable call?

Will MLS punish Lionel Messi over All-Star absence?

As the debate over Lionel Messi not attending the MLS All-Star match continues to intensify, the meantime saw MLS Commissioner Don Garber also sharing his views on the absence of the former Barcelona man. The MLS chief insisted that while it would have been great to have the star player of the league, they should have clarified this matter beforehand.

“We had Leo playing 90 minutes in almost all the games that he’s played. … We have to manage through that as a league. At the same time, we do have rules, and we have to manage through that as well, so we would have loved to have Leo here. … We should’ve known earlier, we should’ve addressed it earlier,” said Garber.

This diplomatic response only makes it more questionable whether Messi and Alba will actually get their suspension or not, with many sources noting that the MLS may not act on this immediately. Regardless, we would like to know your thoughts in the comments below.