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.
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."
El fuerte enojo de Messi con Don Garber, el Comisionado de la MLS 🤬 pic.twitter.com/Xetpx4uhVW
— Diario Olé (@DiarioOle) September 17, 2026
In a July interview, Garber said that Messi had also gotten upset with him over the league's refereeing, citing one difficult match in particular – but praised the former World Cup winner's attitude.
"That's why he is Messi," Garber told Front Office Sports. "This guy just has this indefatigable energy and passion and courage."
Said Garber: "I'm not sure that he looks at me like the guy who picks the officials – I don't – but he's got to complain to somebody."
In August, Inter Miami's then-interim coach Guillermo Hoyos was suspended for a game due to his team's "repeated violations" of the league's late kickoff policies – something FIFA also charged Messi's Argentina team with at the 2026 World Cup.
Messi signed a new three-year extension with Inter Miami in 2025 that will keep him in MLS through the 2028 season, when he will be 41 years old.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch Lionel Messi appear to have heated moment with MLS commissioner
