‘He need to grow up’ – Lionel Messi slammed over All-Star Game no-show

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi has been criticized over his apparent reluctance to participate in the MLS All-Star Game.

Messi decided not to participate in the game despite being the biggest name in the MLS. With football lovers sharing their take on the decision, USMNT legend and former MLS GM Alexi Lalas pushed back on claims that the Argentian was unfairly treated.

He rejected the idea that Messi is a victim and stressing the obligations that come with being the league’s biggest star.

“Fascinating in the way that it has been handled and the reaction to it,” Lalas said on his State of the Union podcast. “We all have either been involved or grown up watching All-Star games and the phenomenon of All-Star Game when it comes to multiple sports here. It’s very normal for us… But I will say that the framing that is happening right now of Messi as some saint, waging some righteous fight against the perceived evils and ills of MLS and its structure, or even the very concept of an MLS All-Star game.

“That’s a little rich, and that’s a little ridiculous. He signed his contract. He knew that playing in the All-Star game was part of his contract. So he knew the rules. So Messi, you need to grow up. You need to participate. And if you didn’t want to play in the All-Star game, you had the leverage at the moment you were signing your contract, and you should have negotiated for that.”

Lalas also praised Miami’s owner Jorge Mas, and praised him for attempting to do something big and bold, but believes the MLS is holding him back.

“I love Jorge Mas,” he said, “in that he is exactly what MLS needs, this aspirational type of disruptor, OK. And I know he’s going to defend his players…. But you can tell he wants to do more. And yeah, he wants the All-Star rule change…. But he wants to do more with his team and with MLS.”

Lalas believes MLS needs to lean more into its more ambitious owners if the league wants to continue to grow.

“I do believe that [Mas] is being held back, and it’s by design,” Lalas said. “For all this success in the last 30 years, I think MLS needs to be big, bold. I’ve said it before, they need to be arrogant in the most positive sense, going forward with those moon shots. And I think Jorge Mas is one of the owners who wants to do those types of things.”