Lionel Messi fined for altercation with USMNT star

Updated: 22 Aug 2026 06:05 CDT | 3 min read

Lionel Messi, Inter Miami, 2026 — © IMAGO

FT Desk

Make us your Google favourite

Lionel Messi has been fined after an altercation with USMNT star Quinn Sullivan during Inter Miami's match against Philadelphia Union on Thursday.

Article continues under the video

In the 101st minute, Sullivan went down during a challenge involving Miami defender Ian Fray. As the situation developed, Messi and Sullivan exchanged words, and the Argentine made contact with the back of Sullivan's head with his hand.

Sullivan immediately confronted Messi, getting face-to-face with him. The referee did not punish the Inter Miami star during the match.

Things then escalated shortly afterwards as Fray became involved with Sullivan again, and the game descended into a wider confrontation involving several players. Cavan Sullivan, Quinn's younger brother, was sent off, as was Miami's Yannick Bright.

Lionel Messi slapping 22-year-old USMNT and Philadelphia Union forward Quinn Sullivan in the back of the head 😮 pic.twitter.com/E87sMnhvng
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) August 20, 2026

Cavan's red card was subsequently overturned on appeal, so he is eligible to play in Philadelphia's next match.

But, Messi didn't escape retrospective punishment.

"The MLS Disciplinary Committee has fined an undisclosed amount to Inter Miami CF striker Lionel Messi for violating League policy regarding the hands towards the face/head/neck of a rival in the 101+ minute of Miami's match against Philadelphia Union on August 19," the league reported.

In the 26nd minute, Messi scored his first goal since his father passed and dedicated it to Jorge Messi.

Jorge, who famously stayed in Barcelona to allow Leo to play at La Masia while the rest of the family returned to Argentina in 2000, passed away in a hospital in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, earlier this month.

There was speculation about his well-being before and during the World Cup, as his absence from the tournament to support Leo was due to a "health-related situation", according to the family. He was present when Argentina won the World Cup final in 2022.