Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul will reportedly miss at least the next two Inter Miami matches and likely the MLS All-Star Game following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.
Inter Miami resumes its season on Wednesday at home against Chicago before traveling to Montreal for a match on Saturday. The duo will be given time off, as per a 2025 agreement between FIFPRO, the global representative organization of players, and FIFA that stated players are required to get 21 days off at the end of the event.
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Messi and De Paul were involved in Argentina’s run to Sunday’s World Cup final, which saw them fall 1-0 to Spain.
While there is a chance Messi and De Paul return to Inter Miami before the three-week rest period is up, they will reportedly not be in attendance at next week’s MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte. Both players were named to the squad that will face a Liga MX Best XI. Messi was voted in, while De Paul was a coach’s selection.
Since joining MLS, Messi has not taken part in an All-Star Game after injuring his ankle during Copa América in 2024 and then using the time off to rest instead of playing in last season’s game.
Last year’s absence resulted in Messi and then-Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba earning a one-game suspension as per league rules.
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Messi finished the World Cup second in the Golden Boot race behind Kylian Mbappé with eight goals and four assists. It was the third World Cup final Messi has played in with Argentina and second straight after La Albiceleste won in 2022.
Messi thanked Argentina fans and teammates, while also congratulating Spain in a message he posted to Instagram on Monday.
“The pain is immense, and it will take time for this wound to heal. But I also choose to hold on to all the good things … the matches we played, giving everything we had, will stay in our memories forever. With the support of an entire country, together with the hard work and effort of this group, we once again managed to be among the best teams in the world.
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“Today it’s difficult to fully appreciate what we achieved, but this team reached two consecutive World Cup finals. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and every message. Once again, we came together as a country, united by immense pride of being Argentine. I also want to congratulate Spain on winning the championship.”
For Inter Miami this season, Messi has scored 12 times in 14 matches, putting him second in MLS.
