What happened between Lionel Messi and MLS commissioner Don Garber will remain a mystery.
The outgoing commish declined to reveal why the world’s greatest footballer had been angrily gesturing toward him after Inter Miami won the Campeones Cup in September before lauding Messi as the “greatest athlete of all time” during Tuesday’s Front Office Sports “Tuned In” summit in New York.
“The best players in the world have passion. The legendary players have more than passion,” Garber said during a lengthy discussion at the event. “There are players throughout history…who play with a sense of intensity and passion that makes them unique and special, and makes [Messi] the G.O.A.T of all G.O.A.Ts. So what was going on there is between me and Leo, not something I’m going to talk about with you.”
Messi has been in Major League Soccer since 2023, when he made the jump to North America to presumably finish out his professional soccer career.
The global soccer icon has been a boon for the league, adding new interest, but Messi and Garber have shared an icy relationship at times.
Messi and Inter Miami were angered last season when he was suspended for one game for skipping the MLS All-Star game, which is a violation of the league’s policy.
While Garber did not say what had incensed Messi on that September night, he admired and appreciated the passion that he has.
“I think it’s what makes Leo Messi the greatest player ever to play the game of soccer and I will go and say the greatest athlete of all time,” Garber said. “There isn’t a player who has done as much as he has done, has the recognition and has the respect.”
The Argentine played his final international match last week in Buenos Aires in front of an adoring crowd, which was treated to a tearful goodbye from Messi and one final goal for the Argentina national team.
Messi has scored 104 goals across all competitions since joining Inter Miami, and helped lead the club to its first MLS Cup title last season.
Garber only has a few more months left on his commissioner tenure before handing over the keys to the league to Larry Berg on Jan. 1.
