Messi Sparks Tension with MLS Commissioner After Campeones Cup Win
Lionel Messi had just delivered another trophy. Then came the flashpoint on the touchline.
The Inter Miami star and MLS commissioner Don Garber appeared to engage in a heated exchange Wednesday night after Miami’s 2-0 win over Cruz Azul sealed the Campeones Cup. Cameras caught Messi pointing at Garber several times as the two spoke postmatch, a sharp contrast to the usual polished trophy-ceremony pleasantries.
Messi gestured toward Garber, turned away, then later returned and pointed again as they continued talking. The interaction was brief but clearly tense. Neither Inter Miami nor MLS offered any explanation, with both declining to comment on the incident, according to the Associated Press.
On the Field
On the field, though, Messi left little room for debate.
He struck first, scoring his 100th career goal for Inter Miami in the first half to open the scoring and tilt the final in his team’s favor. The milestone finish underlined just how quickly he has rewritten the club’s record books.
The pressure didn’t ease after the break. Messi dropped deeper, dictated play and then produced the moment that killed the contest, whipping in a second-half cross that Casemiro met with a firm header to make it 2-0 and give Miami real breathing room.
By the final whistle, Messi had a goal, an assist and another piece of silverware.
Miami's Trophy Cabinet
This Campeones Cup joins an already crowded Miami trophy cabinet in the Messi era: the Leagues Cup in 2023, the Supporters’ Shield in 2024 and the MLS Cup in 2025. A club that once chased relevance now stacks titles.
And the hunt isn’t over.
In the current MLS season, Inter Miami sits second in the Eastern Conference on 45 points, nine behind Nashville SC in the race for the No. 1 seed. A collision between those two in the Eastern Conference Final, with a spot in the MLS Cup on the line, would fit the script this team has been writing.
With Messi orchestrating and still deciding big matches, any playoff bracket that includes Inter Miami comes with a warning: ignore them, and you’re probably handing them another trophy.
