The MLS hasn’t made the best case for itself this past week. It all started when it issued the G.O.A.T. of soccer, none other than Lionel Messi, a suspension! The suspension was issued because Messi, who is 38, chose to rest and ready himself for the next Inter Miami game instead of playing in an All-Star game. The league received appropriate backlash for the move, with both Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas and coach Javier Mascherano criticizing the league’s action on a legend such as Messi and their motives behind it.

Now, in a new turn of events and following Messi’s injury that caused him to walk out of the game between Miami and Necaxa less than ten minutes into the game, an ESPN FC podcast digs a little deeper into the event. 

“Could you imagine he gets injured in the very first game?” Alejandro Moreno commented, adding that despite this Inter Miami will probably still make it through to the next round. “The way this tournament is formatted—only four teams go through out of 18, and you compete within your own league only. So, realistically, they’re going to get by and get very fortunate and lucky that, most likely, Inter Miami will beat Pumas.” Moreno went on to say, then however, he began to heavily criticize the league and Messi’s recent suspension.

“So having your biggest product, your biggest asset, go down early in a game like this—it just fuels all those naysayers. And there’s a few on this panel who say, ‘Hey, this is why you give the man rest when he needs rest.'” Moreno said, alluding to the suspension Messi received late last month. This statement was immediately met with agreement on the panel, with a co-host adding, “Yeah, absolutely. And don’t suspend him when he wants that rest. Maybe he felt something, as you said, Ali—but of course, we’ll never know.” Maybe Messi did indeed feel something, as the timing of his injury with regard to his suspension was too uncanny to ignore! And, if this is the case, then both the MLS and Inter Miami are going to have a lot to answer for in the coming days.

Lionel Messi suspension and injury timeline

Both Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba were suspended after missing out on the MLS All-Star Game with the Liga MX All-Stars on July 24th. Both players were unable to play in Inter Miami’s match against FC Cincinnati on July 26th. Messi, however, joined in in the next game against Atlas and made two assists that helped the team finally bag the 2-1 win.

However, in the next game against Necaxa, Messi walked off the field less than ten minutes in, leading some fans and analysts to wonder if Messi had been feeling the hamstring injury coming on well before the suspension and if the suspension for a 38 year old player wanting to take a moment of rest was a little bit short-sighted.

Either way, there is a lesson here for both the MLS and Inter Miami: no one knows a player’s body better than the player himself, and when that player is Lionel Messi, then it’s best to let him rest when he says he wants to!