Lionel Messi refused to go on panel show because of one former Liverpool defender

CBS Sports coverage of the Champions League is to be commended, with a great panel that features Clint Dempsey, Thierry Henry, Charlie Davies, the ever-funny Micah Richards, and the great hosting duties of Kate Abdo.

But one panel member, who has great insight, has now become infamous and that is former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher. According to Abdo, CBS Sports once Lionel Messi signed and began playing with Inter Miami, extended an invitation to join the panel, but the World Cup winner refused.

According to Abdo, Messi stated he would “not be on a show that Jamie Carragher is on.” The reason why stems from January 2022 when Carragher was very critical of PSG, it irritated Messi so much the Argentine or his people actually DMed Carragher.

Why did Lionel Messi DM Jamie Carragher?

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Jamie Carragher stated that PSG could not win the Champions League with Messi, Neymar, and Mbappé playing together, according to the former England international a few weeks later he saw his phone and got a direct message from Messi.

Messi responded “burro” which in Argentine dialect means “moron” or “idiot”, Carragher at the time stated, “Is it Spanish that they speak, Argentinians? I’m just going to say the word he called me, I don’t understand, a ‘burro’. What does that mean?”

Messi’s response to CBS Sports

While covering the day’s Champions League matches Abdo stated, “You know we made an official invitation extended to Inter Miami, and we asked him to come on the show.

“Do you know what the official response was? Apparently, Lionel Messi will not be doing any television shows that Jamie Carragher is a part of.”

As the panel laughed Carragher opened up about the famed DM, “From the man himself. I will not be showing private messages, but he basically called me a donkey.”

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“I was coming home from a game, I got a message and was like ‘that can’t be him, must be a fake account’. Then I looked and it came from (Messi) and he told me his opinion. I had to Google and translate (the message) because I didn’t have a clue what he sent me. “I just said ‘thanks for your opinion’. The next night he was crowned the Ballon d’Or winner, so I replied saying ‘congratulations’. He saw the message and didn’t reply.”

Carragher has been a long time pundit since hanging up his boots, he has had some wild takes, but his biggest claim to fame might just be that Lionel Messi DMed him and later ghosted him.