Watch Lionel Messi appear to have heated moment with MLS commissioner

Lionel Messi appeared to have a heated moment with MLS boss Don Garber on Wednesday, wagging his finger in the commissioner’s face after Inter Miami‘s win over Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup final.

It’s unclear what led to the incident, but the 39-year-old was caught on video getting in Garber’s face during the postgame celebrations on the field in Miami. After confronting Garber once, Messi continued to walk around and offered a hug to someone nearby – before circling back around to say something else (and point his finger) towards Garber.

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In another brief clip, Garber can be seen pointing his finger at Messi as the Argentine star walks away shaking his head.

This is not from the first public disagreement between the commissioner and Messi, who came to Major League Soccer in 2023 and was given revenue-sharing partnerships that give the Argentine a direct cut of Apple TV subscriptions as well as Adidas merchandise sales.

In 2025, Messi – and teammate Jordi Alba – were suspended for one match after the former Barcelona stars chose to skip the MLS All-Star Game. Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas told reporters that Messi was “extremely upset” by the situation and the team was vocal in its displeasure with what Garber called a “complicated decision.”