Lionel Messi is back and scoring goals again. Although the game ended in a 2-2 draw, it was good to see Messi back on the field, smiling after a tough few days. But on the day he was back on the pitch, there was drama, and the man himself was involved in a physical altercation.
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“Leo Messi slaps 22-year-old Quinn Sullivan,” reported a user on Reddit, who asked if there should have been some action from the referee.
Notably, the Argentine appeared to slap Quinn Sullivan during an off-ball confrontation during the game against Philadelphia.
Messi seemed to react after believing Sullivan had caught him with an elbow during play. Sullivan reacted angrily, with both players briefly facing each other before being separated.
The surprising part came next, because the referee allowed the match to continue without any punishment.
Messi received neither a yellow nor a red card for the apparent slap during that confrontation. That decision quickly became part of the conversation, especially after replays showed contact. However, the important thing to consider is that referees didn’t appear to notice Messi slapping his opponent as per video footage. Though for fans watching this, the question now is simple: Will Messi face punishment for his actions?
The debate becomes harder to ignore because Messi rarely collects serious disciplinary punishment during MLS matches.
He has 3 yellow cards and 0 red cards during the 2026 season. That does not prove Messi receives special treatment, but it explains why this moment attracted attention. Even his disciplinary history shows that occasional incidents can still bring consequences after matches.
In 2025, MLS fined Messi after he grabbed New York City coach Mehdi Ballouchy. That incident happened after the final whistle, and the league announced an undisclosed financial penalty.
That said, for the recent incident, a suspension remains possible if officials decide the contact deserves stronger punishment. A fine or no further action could also follow, depending on how MLS views the incident. For now, Messi’s 13th league goal shares the spotlight with an emotional return and an emotional response.
MLS fans question how Lionel Messi faced no punishment after hitting another player
After the slapping incident, fans are really starting to think about the extent of physical contact that will earn a player a punishment.
Fans wrote, “You guys want a red for this? Just chatting shit atp,” and “Is that what people call a slap these days???”
But there is another set of fans that want to see a player get punished if he deserves it, no matter how big the name is. Fans wrote, “And of course he didn’t get a yellow,” and “Impressive how fast the ref came in to the rescue.”
In 2018, there was an incident between Zlatan Ibrahimović and Michael Petrasso, where Zlatan slapped the head of Petrasso for stepping on his foot. Although the slap was not hard, the referee wasted no time in sending the star striker off with a red card.
So it only remains to be seen how the referees handle the Messi incident.