COLUMBUS, Ohio — As MLS prepares to wrap up its 28th season Saturday, Commissioner Don Garber on Friday reflected on a year dominated by Lionel Messi’s midseason arrival and looked ahead to the Argentine superstar’s return for a full campaign in 2024.
“Lionel Messi had many options for the next chapter of his iconic soccer-playing career,” Garber said during his state of the league address. “The magnitude of his decision to join MLS cannot be overstated.”
Messi’s impact was felt on the field, where he picked up where he left off in a storied club career that began in Barcelona and passed through Paris before landing with Inter Miami in August.