“The truth is that it was difficult not having played the other day,” remarked Lionel Messi after being compelled to sit out the FC Cincinnati clash on Saturday. The reason? He was suspended by MLS for missing the All-Star Game without a valid medical excuse — a punishable offense under the league’s rulebook. Although several days have passed since the incident, the dust has yet to settle, as USMNT icon Alexi Lalas has taken a sharp dig at Messi for skipping the game.
Since this event, the entire soccer world hasn’t stopped debating over whether the Argentinian superstar, alongside his teammate Jordi Alba, was right in his own sense to skip the match, or did he actually do wrong. Not to mention, the 37-year-old has even been linked to a surprise transfer, with many alleging a potential frustration over the league’s rules.
Then again, Alexi Lalas was bold enough to tell the Inter Miami skipper and his camp about their lack of accountability. “When it comes to Messi and this particular All-Star game, this is an absolutely avoidable own goal from everybody that was involved, whether it’s the league, it’s Inter Miami, or it’s Messi himself,” began the former defender on the latest episode of his own co-hosted State of the Union podcast.
“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,” added Lalas.
He reminded Messi that signing a contract with an MLS team means committing to every match, day in and day out, and not just skipping one simply because he or his team felt like it—unless, of course, a valid reason exists. “So, Messi, you need to grow up. You need to participate,” boldly added the former LA Galaxy star.
Alexi Lalas made it clear to the former Paris Saint-Germain star that had he never really wanted to play in the All-Star game, the forward should have negotiated that pre-signing for the Herons. “But now, to say, ‘No, I’m not playing for it?’ I’m not buying it,” insisted Lalas.
The post Lionel Messi Called Out by USMNT Legend Alexi Lalas After MLS All Star Suspension Debate appeared first on EssentiallySports.
