“The kingpin is obviously Messi” – Shaun Wright-Phillips highlights long-term negative effect of superstars like Lionel Messi in MLS and provides fix

Former Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has urged the MLS to find a long-term solution to make the league attractive as they cannot rely on Lionel Messi and co. He believes that players like Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez have come to the league because of the Argentine legend, but that is not the best way forward.

Speaking to Football Betting, Wright-Phillips stated that the MLS is only bringing in players closer to retirement, rather than those at the peak of their careers. He said (via GOAL):

Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023 after his contract at PSG expired. The MLS is known for attracting players close to retirement with the likes of David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic having joined the league in the past.

Lionel Messi spoke highly of the MLS earlier this season and claimed that the league is becoming better. He stated that foreign players are improving the league’s standard, which is reflected on the pitch this season.

Messi told Simplemente Futbol in April (via ESPN):

Lionel Messi is reportedly in contract talks to extend his deal at the club and stay at Inter Miami until 2026.

Sripad

Sripad is a veteran Sportskeeda football journalist, who has been with the company for around 9.5 years. His tryst with writing happened in class XI when he started penning blogs, and his foray into football was during the early 2000s, watching matches with his cousins.

Sripad has been a Chelsea fan through and through since the age of 9 and can watch their 2012 Champions League triumph on repeat. The undisputed ‘GOAT’ according to him is Lionel Messi and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. Apart from popular European leagues, he also likes to follow other leagues like the MLS, Saudi Pro League, Eredivisie, and Liga MX.

Sripad believes in only using the right sources for his articles, and is an expert in understanding how to get the right quotes for each news to provide proper background information. His exploits have led him to become a popular figure in European Football and interviewing Premier League legends such as Alan Shearer, Shay Given, Paul Dickov, and John Barnes. His articles have been much revered amongst the football fraternity and have been shared by the likes of John Terry, Gary Lineker, and Declan Rice.

If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.

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