Lionel Messi in focus as 30-man MLS 2024 All-Star squad revealed

Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi will headline a 30-man Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star 2024 team that will face off against the best talents of Mexico’s LIGA MX. The match will take place in Columbus, Ohio, on July 24.

The roster features 12 players selected through fan, player and media votes, 16 footballers selected by MLS All-Star head coach Wilfried Nancy and two picks from MLS Commissioner Don Garber.

The captain of this MLS team will be named based on fan votes from a four-man shortlist, which is yet to be confirmed.

Messi’s Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets have also made the all-star roster.

Overall, football players from 18 MLS clubs made it to the 30-man shortlist and only Columbus Crew (five) have a bigger representation than Inter Miami (four) in the team.

This will be the third meeting between MLS and LIGA MX All-Stars. The previous two matches in 2021 and 2022 took place in Los Angeles and Minnesota, respectively, with the MLS team emerging victorious on both occasions.

Messi, currently featuring in the Copa America 2024 for the Argentina national football team, joined Inter Miami in July 2023 from Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi already has 12 goals and 13 assists in the first 12 games in 2024 for Inter Miami, making him the quickest to 25 goal contributions in a season.

France’s World Cup-winning captain Hugo Lloris, who plays for Los Angeles FC, is also in the MLS All-Star squad. Former Barcelona prodigy Riqi Puig, too, made the team on the back of a terrific start to the season with LA Galaxy.

MLS 2024 All-Star roster

Goalkeepers: Roman Bürki (St. Louis City SC), Hugo Lloris (LAFC), Maarten Paes (FC Dallas)

Defenders: Jordi Alba (Inter Miami CF), Rudy Camacho (Columbus Crew), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake), Aaron Herrera (D.C. United), Thiago Martins (New York City FC), Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew), Luca Orellano (FC Cincinnati), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Keegan Rosenberry (Colorado Rapids)

Midfielders: Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati), Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami CF), Mathieu Choinière (CF Montréal), Evander (Portland Timbers), Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Héctor Herrera (Houston Dynamo FC), Robin Lod (Minnesota United FC), Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC), Darlington Nagbe (Columbus Crew), Riqui Puig (LA Galaxy)

Forwards: Cristian 'Chicho' Arango (Real Salt Lake), Christian Benteke (D.C. United), Federico Bernardeschi (Toronto FC), Denis Bouanga (LAFC), Juan 'Cucho' Hernández (Columbus Crew), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF), Luis Suárez (Inter Miami CF), Diego Rossi (Columbus Crew)