Five yellow cards usually mean one thing in MLS: a player misses the next game. Lionel Messi has reached that number this season, yet Inter Miami can still count on their biggest star against the New England Revolution. An unusual league rule has kept him out of suspension trouble.

Messi received his latest booking during Inter Miami’s 2-2 draw against FC Cincinnati on Wednesday. It was his fifth caution of the regular season, following bookings against the Colorado Rapids, Orlando City, Nashville SC, and Atlanta United. Under the usual accumulation rule, that would have triggered a one-game ban.

However, MLS has a provision that rewards players for staying out of the referee’s book. Known as the Good Behavior Incentive, it allows a player to erase one yellow card from his tally after completing five consecutive matches without receiving a yellow card, red card, or supplemental discipline.

The league’s regulations also limit the benefit to three applications during a regular season. Messi has already taken advantage of it twice, meaning two of his earlier bookings no longer count towards his suspension total.

That leaves the Argentine with an official accumulation tally of three, despite having received five cautions on the field. Consequently, he remains eligible for Sunday’s meeting with New England.

The rule could hardly have arrived at a better time for Inter Miami. The Herons are chasing a stronger playoff position, and Messi remains central to their hopes of finishing the regular season on a high.

Lionel Messi’s MLS future remains a bigger talking point

While the suspension scare has been settled, speculation about Messi’s next move has created another talking point. Reports from Argentina recently suggested that Newell’s Old Boys were preparing an ambitious attempt to bring their former youth player home as early as January 2027.

Journalist Gonzalo Calvigioni fuelled the excitement by claiming Messi had “never been as close to a return to Newell’s Old Boys as he is now.” The possibility carried an emotional appeal. Messi grew up playing for the Rosario club before moving to Barcelona in 2000, aged just 13. Despite his extraordinary career, he has never made a senior appearance for Newell’s.

However, transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has pushed back against the reports. According to Romano, Messi is happy at Inter Miami and remains focused on seeing out his contract, which runs until December 2028. He also suggested that an extension could be considered later, although no decision had been made.

Here’s his full tweet on this: “There are no negotiations taking place for Lionel Messi’s return to Newell’s Old Boys despite reports. Messi is very happy at Inter Miami, same for his family. Leo wants to fulfill current deal until 2028, at least – could be even longer, to be evaluated later on.”

For now, the Argentine’s immediate future appears settled. Inter Miami has benefited enormously from his arrival, with co-owner Jorge Mas previously describing his impact as something that would create a “before and after Messi” for the club.

The numbers explain why the club would want to keep him around. Messi has continued to produce at an extraordinary level, recording 29 goals and 14 assists across 34 appearances in all competitions so far this season. His MLS return stands at 25 goals and 12 assists, keeping him firmly in contention for another Golden Boot and a third consecutive MVP award.

A return to Newell’s may remain an appealing story for supporters in Rosario, but there is little indication that Messi is preparing to leave Florida anytime soon. With the playoffs approaching, Inter Miami will be more concerned with what he can deliver on the pitch than where he might play next.

And thanks to MLS’s unusual good-behavior provision, he will be available to do exactly that against New England.