Jersey swaps are a common thing in soccer, and since Lionel Messi’s arrival in Major League Soccer, the Argentine has become the number one swap target. With players such as Dax McCarty, Thiago Almada, John McCarthy, and Luciano Acosta all swapping with Messi,his impact on the league is clear, but during Inter Miami’s frigid Concacaf Champions Cup victory over Sporting Kansas City Tuesday, Messi received an unusual request.
Referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava approached Messi following the match for his jersey and once Messi was in the changing room out of the cold, Messi obliged his request it to the referee, according to ESPN. The Professional Referee Organization (PRO) has previously had to swap the referee for an Inter Miami game after Brazilian referee Guilherme Ceretta de Lima posted pictures to social media wearing a Messi jersey.
That change was made due to a potential conflict of interest due to the fact that referees are supposed to be unbiased but with Messi’s arrival, that has been something harder to do since the league hasn’t seen a player of his stature. More situations like this will continue to crop up with a global superstar in the league, but the ref asking for it is certainly different.
Next up for Inter Miami, they’ll kick off the MLS regular season hosting New York City FC at home at Chase Stadium on Saturday.
