Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi has been fined by the Major League Soccer (MLS) for slapping an opponent.
The MLS fined the Argentine superstar an undisclosed amount for slapping Philadelphia Union’s Quinn Sullivan on the back of his neck.
The incident was one of several heated exchanges that took place in Inter Miami’s 2-2 draw with Philadelphia.
Messi scored in the game with the goal being his first since he returned to action following the passing of his father, Jorge. Messi provided an assist in the game.
Messi has been heavily involved in Miami’s campaign after making a quicker than expected return from his brilliant run with Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Inter Miami forward scored eight goals and added four assists in seven games as Argentina missed out successfully defending the World Cup title.
In the MLS, the 39 year old has 16 goals and nine assists in 21 games in all competitions this season.
![Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni (C,R) tries to intervene as Argentina's midfielder #05 Leandro Paredes clashes with Spain's defender #04 Eric Garcia at the end of the 2026 World Cup football tournament final match between Spain and Argentina at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP via Getty Images) / "The erroneous mention appearing in the metadata of this photo by JUAN MABROMATA has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni (C,R) tries to intervene as Argentina's midfielder #05 Leandro Paredes clashes with Spain's defender #04 Eric Garcia] instead of [Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni (C,R) clashes with Spain's defender #04 Eric Garcia].](https://citisportsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Par-1-350x250.jpg)
