Shortly after Lionel Messi led Inter Miami to win the Campeones Cup on Thursday, discussions have sparked all over the internet about why the Argentinian captain had a heated argument with Don Garber, the commissioner of Major League Soccer (MLS), after the celebration.
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Inter Miami secured a 2-0 victory over Cruz Azul, and Messi scored his 100th goal for the club to lift the Campeones Cup. The annual soccer match pits the reigning MLS Cup champion against the Liga MX Campeón de Campeones winner from Mexico’s Liga MX, bringing together the champions of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
But right after he lifted the trophy, Messi approached Don Garber twice, and footage shows an argumentative conversation between the pair, with Messi waving his fingers repeatedly at Garber. In another clip, Garber was seen smiling while having a conversation with Messi, but the latter was frowning and it seemed more like a confrontation. In the match, Messi also protested over multiple referee decisions in the first half.
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Donald P. Garber is an American sports executive who has served as the commissioner of Major League Soccer (MLS) since 1999. He is also the CEO of Soccer United Marketing and a member of the United States Soccer Federation board of directors. He is a major figure in America’s soccer scene.
In a previous interview given to a YouTube channel, Front office Sports (FOS) News, to the interviewer’s question on how he’s with Messi now because Messi was mad at him over a one-game suspension for skipping the 2025 MLS All-Star Game, Garber replied that they are communicating more now, but he does not think Messi likes him, as Messi has this indefatigable energy, passion and courage, and he is not sure that Messi looks at him as the guy who picks the officials, (referees at the MLs) which he don’t. And if Messi got to complain to somebody, he was the one who would take it.
The above mentioned incident took place in July 2025 when Don Garber handed Messi a one-game suspension for skipping the MLS All-Star Game. MLS had a long-standing policy that if a healthy player skips without a documented medical excuse, they would get a one-game league ban. Inter Miami had a very heavy summer schedule, and Messi withdrew from the game due to intense fatigue. Despite Messi’s massive commercial importance to the league, Garber insisted on enforcing the rule equally. Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas publicly called the punishment “draconian” and revealed that Messi was “extremely upset”.
The game that Garber mentioned where Messi was not so happy with the referees’ decision was probably the heated 4-2 match against Orlando City SC in March 2026, where Messi was openly vocal about refereeing decisions. It should be either that or the 2023 Leagues Cup final. Despite all the friction, Don Garber has constantly praised Messi’s massive global influence on Major League Soccer.
Fans and football analysts on X have had mixed reactions to the issue. Some defended Messi for speaking up, while others criticised what they saw as another complaint from the Inter Miami captain. An independent journalist, Franco One, has put forward his theories on X that Garber may have asked Messi to interview in the manner of ‘you owe us one ’, but Messi took exception and responded along the lines of ‘You owe me. Not the other way around.’ But users have reacted that it is just a very basic and baseless theory and not a fact.
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One of the tweets defending Messi says, “ Idk why people defend Don Garber when he’s one of the main people responsible for the stagnation of growth in MLS and American footy as a whole; we’d be way better off with him completely out of the American soccer world, whether certain people like to admit it or not”.
While some users on X have commented against the behaviour of the Inter Miami captain, calling it childish and very unbecoming of a football legend. “ Messi has never been a nice guy and never will be. He’s complaining about the refs no longer giving him free passes. He doesn’t care about what Garber does or doesn’t do to better the league.”
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Another interpretation from the users points out that Messi is unhappy and is against how biased the referees were at the match; hence, it’s valid that he confronted Garber. “Good, the refs have been insanely biased VS Miami in their past 10 MLS games, not getting a single call, and clearly favouring the opposing side, and Miami are trying their hardest, and it shouldn’t be allowed”
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Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023 after leaving Paris Saint-Germain and has contributed significantly to the club’s growth even now, as he continues to shine. He has contributed directly with 30 goals in his 22 appearances in the MLS season for Inter Miami in the MLs. There has been no official response from either the club, Messi, Garber themselves or the federation regarding the incident.
