Argentine star Lionel Messi will miss the 2026 Major League Soccer All-Star Game, just days after his country's national team failed to defend their World Cup title.
Argentina lost last Sunday's 2026 World Cup final to Spain by a single goal in extra time, falling short of retaining the crown they had won in Qatar 2022.
Most of his national team colleagues have been given time off at the end of the European season. Messi, 39, remains tied to the current season's competitions with his club Inter Miami.
His return to the pitch will not be immediate, though. According to ESPN, Messi is not expected to feature in the All-Star Game scheduled for 29 July at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, which pits the stars of Major League Soccer against their counterparts from the Mexican league.
Messi and his national team and Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul both made the list of selected MLS stars for the fixture, but Messi intends to sit it out for the second year running.
The decision complies with recommendations from the international federation of professional footballers, FIFPRO, which stipulate that players must be given a rest period of no less than 21 days after the end of the season.
Officially, Messi is still in the middle of the MLS season. Yet he played every one of Argentina's matches on their run to the World Cup final.
The exact length of his absence remains unclear. Reports confirm he will definitely miss Inter Miami's next two matches against Chicago Fire and Montreal, and that absence is likely to stretch to the All-Star Game next Wednesday.
Messi had been suspended last season for missing the All-Star Game without the league's approval. A similar penalty appears unlikely this time, given the exceptional circumstances and the narrow gap between the World Cup final and the exhibition match.
Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos told reporters yesterday, Tuesday, that there is as yet no set date for the Argentine star's return to training and matches.