Javier Mascherano shut down any claims of a fallout with Lionel Messi, calling recent speculation “nonsense” ahead of Inter Miami’s clash with New England Revolution.
The Herons’ surprising 5–3 defeat to the Chicago Fire on Tuesday evening grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons. Not only did Inter Miami see their chances of winning the Supporters’ Shield narrow significantly, but they also found themselves stuck in fourth place of the Eastern Conference standings.
It did not help matters that cameras caught what appeared to be a tense exchange between Messi and Mascherano during the match. Rumors instantly swirled about a possible rift developing between the former Argentina teammates, exacerbated by Inter Miami’s recent poor run of form.
Mascherano was quick to dispel the claims that gained traction over the last few days, setting the record straight on where he stands with Messi.
“There’s no problem with Leo,” the Argentine said. “It came out in the press that he was challenging me, which is really nonsense.”
Mascherano: Tactics Dominated Mid-Game Talks With Messi
Mascherano instead clued the media in on what he and Messi were actually discussing in their conversation at Chase Stadium.
“We were talking about Chicago’s low block. If you look at the game, after their first two goals, they played a very low block, and there was little space to find between the lines,” Mascherano explained.
“It was a space problem, because they had dropped back very well, and it was very difficult to find space between the lines. It was a problem that I saw and that we tried to talk about in the locker room.”
When the halftime whistle sounded, Inter Miami headed down the tunnel trailing 3–1 at home. Mascherano’s men eventually found success against their opponent’s disciplined defense, clawing their way back into the game to bring the score to 3–3 in the 74th minute.
Yet in the end, it was the Herons’ defense that did not hold up, conceding two late goals to lose their seventh league match in 2025. With just three games to go in the regular season, Messi and Mascherano will be focused on getting Inter Miami back to winning ways as they continue their pursuit of the club’s first-ever MLS Cup.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Problem With Leo’—Javier Mascherano Addresses Lionel Messi Rift Rumors.
