Speculation that Lionel Messi “broke the rules” during Inter Miami’s trophy celebrations has been dismissed

Lionel Messi's possible conflict of interest following a picture of Inter Miami's recent trophy celebration has been resolved.

Messi scored twice for the club in a 3-2 win over Columbus Crew that secured their first-ever Supporters' Shield title.

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The award is given to the MLS team that has the best regular season record, with Inter Miami leading the Eastern Conference.

They won 20 of their 32 games and scored 68 points, ensuring that the full-time celebrations were anything but quiet.

In pictures posted to Messi's Instagram account, he and his Inter Miami teammates surround the sign in the locker room.

Another picture shows him holding it up with managing owner Jorge Mas, with a bottle of his Mas+ sports drink in his hand.

This may have raised questions among eagle-eyed viewers, as one of MLS's corporate sponsors is rival beverage brand BODYARMOR.

Franco Panizo, co-host of the Inter Miami podcast, added: “Double whammy (although I imagine MLS sponsor Body Armor won’t be happy).”

However, from the pictures from the celebrations, it looks like Messi would be more than welcome to have his own brand, made by White Claw Hard Seltzer and launched in June.

As SPORTbible reports, one of their sources claimed that there was no conflict of interest regarding the Mas+ bottle.

Although BODYARMOR is an MLS partner, it says that clubs and players are allowed to have their own “category sponsors.”

Messi's last picture on his Instagram post showed him holding the sign alongside his former Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets.

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The former Camp Nou quartet are an excellent addition to the Inter Miami squad and could help bring the club their first ever MLS title.

Messi has scored 17 goals and assisted another ten in La Liga in 2024, with Suarez their top goalscorer with 18.

Inter Miami has already secured first place in the MLS Eastern Conference with two games to go.

After meetings with Toronto FC and New England Revolution, they will move into the first round of the MLS Cup play-offs.

The win will take them to the Eastern Conference semifinals and then the final before the 2024 MLS Cup.

Should Inter Miami make it this far, they will face a team from the Western Conference as their opponents, with the club likely to be one of the favorites to achieve the goal.