Things get messy for Lionel Messi ahead of FIFA World Cup

Five goals in six matches for third-placed Inter Miami in the MLS isn’t a bad return for someone who prefers to let his feet do the talking. Of late though, Argentine superstar Lionel Messi seems to be making more headlines when putting those feet up.

Cue his visit to India in December last year and the Kolkata fiasco when more than 80,000 turned up to catch a glimpse of their ‘football God’, but ended up breaking chairs in rage when the 38-year-old icon was whisked away over security fears after inadequate crowd segregation, overselling of tickets, along with celebrities and their entourages hovering around him, severely restricted visibility and access for general ticket holders, who had paid through the nose for their moment of a lifetime.

The blame for that disaster fell squarely on the event promoter of the G.O.A.T Tour who was later arrested.

It’s just been four months to that infamous incident and the football genius again finds himself in the news for another controversy, but this time, the shoe seems to be on the other foot.

A Miami-based event promoter has accused the football icon of violating terms of a $7 million contract by missing an exhibition match last year. Vid Music Group filed the lawsuit for fraud and breach of contract against Messi and the Argentine Football Association in Miami-Dade circuit court last month, according to court records.

Fans routinely pay much higher prices for the chance to see one of the greatest football players in action and according to the lawsuit, Vid had signed a deal with the AFA last summer for exclusive rights to organise and promote Argentina's friendlies last October against Venezuela and Puerto Rico in exchange for ticket, broadcast and sponsorship revenue. Vid claims that Messi was supposed to play for at least 30 minutes in each match, unless he was injured.

Instead, Messi watched Argentina's 1-0 win against Venezuela on October 10 from a suite at South Florida's Hard Rock Stadium, according to the lawsuit.

The next day, Messi scored two goals in Inter Miami's 4-0 MLS win over Atlanta. That match was important to Inter Miami, since it gave them home-field advantage for Round 1 of the playoffs.

Then, on October 14, Messi played in Argentina's 6-0 win over Puerto Rico. That game was originally supposed to take place in Chicago, but low ticket sales in the city where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were making more than 1,000 arrests led organisers to move the game to Florida. AFA blamed the immigration crackdowns when the smaller venue in Fort Lauderdale didn't sell out, even after ticket prices were reduced to $25 each.

Vid hasn't specified damages they're seeking in the lawsuit, but they claim they lost millions between Messi failing to appear in one game and low ticket sales at the other.

With the FIFA World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada just round the corner, fans will be hoping the Argentine superstar can keep working his magic on the field while shutting out all the noise around him.