MLS was almost nowhere on the soccer map until Lionel Messi stepped his feet in Miami. The Messi effect didn’t just boost the league; it supercharged Inter Miami itself. The club’s annual revenue jumped from around $50–60 million in 2022 to a projected $200 million by the end of 2024, due to surging ticket sales, global sponsorships, record jersey sales, and massive media rights deals. Forbes now values Inter Miami at $1.2 billion, placing it among the most valuable soccer franchises in North America. That’s how high Messi has set the bar now.

Still, knowing that his mere appearance changes everything, Major League Soccer ended up handing a one-game suspension to the Inter Miami superstar just because he did not turn up for the All-Stars game in Texas this week. While the league is firm on its stance, citing, official rule to suspend for a game anyone missing the All-Star game without prior approval.

Well, this suspension can barely affect someone who has already won almost everything in the sport, but this could very much blow a hole in Miami’s bottom line. And it’s already sparking outrage from experts who say this wasn’t just a rule; it was a mistake.

Over on ESPN FC’s YouTube channel, the conversation got heated. Football analyst and ex-goalkeeper Shaka Hislop didn’t mince words. “Who does this really impact?” he asked, then answered himself: “I don’t know which game he’s going to be suspended for; I’m not sure if that was announced but if it’s an away game… team is will see a significant, well, drop in expected attendance. That’s who it’s going to impact.” The twist? This isn’t an away game.

It’s a home fixture at Chase Stadium, where Messi brings sellout crowds and off-the-charts energy. Fans paying for the Messi experience will not be able to see their favorite star. Even worse, Hislop argued, the suspension won’t change a thing for Inter Miami competitively. “Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba missing one game, in this situation, is not going to impact whether Inter Miami makes the playoffs or not… It’s not going to impact anything Inter Miami-related unless—it’s, unless that game is at home. Then you have season ticket holders,” he said. And he’s right.

Miami is comfortably positioned in the table and still has games in hand. So who suffers? The fans. The team’s financials. The local vendors. And with ticket prices for this match still hovering around $52 and above, every unsold seat is money lost, not just for the club, but for the ecosystem around it. All because the league wanted to prove a point that Messi didn’t even notice. And the numbers behind Messi’s stardom make this even harder to defend.

Lionel Messi’s frustration boils over with suspension

Since joining Inter Miami, Lionel Messi has turned every stadium into a spectacle. On April 13, 62,358 fans flooded Chicago’s Soldier Field, nearly all in Argentina jerseys. In Columbus, 60,614 packed the stands, nearly three times more than the usual crowd. Vancouver? Another record: 57,837 fans. That’s not just football. That’s economics. According to Diario AS, MLS clubs collectively earned over $83 million in additional revenue just from away games with Messi on the roster, an average of $6.45 million per match. Los Angeles FC raked in about $17.3 million from hosting him twice, while even smaller-market clubs like CF Montreal made more than $8 million off a single appearance.

Talk about the impact!

Former Liverpool legend Stevie Nicol summed up what many fans are thinking: “There’s always a circumstance where you have to make an exception… I think it’s 100 percent wrong.” For a league that often tweaks rules when convenient, sticking rigidly to this one feels out of step, especially when millions are on the line. And with the suspension targeting Inter Miami’s own home crowd, many are wondering: Was this really about fairness, or did the league just cut off its own star attraction to uphold a technicality? Sunday’s silence in the stands might be louder than anything the league says next.  But how does Lionel Messi feel about all of this?

Lionel Messi was left “extremely upset” after being hit with a one-game suspension. As Miami co-owner Jorge Mas called “draconian.” Both Messi and Jordi Alba were stunned by the league’s decision, especially given their consistent performances and the physical toll of their packed schedules. “The reaction was exactly as expected out of two competitive players who don’t understand the decision,” Mas said, emphasizing the confusion over how missing an exhibition led to missing a competitive match. MLS commissioner Don Garber admitted the decision was “very difficult” but insisted the league had to enforce its long-standing rules. Still, with Messi scoring 18 goals in as many appearances this season and coming off five matches in July alone, the suspension has raised eyebrows across the soccer world.