Who did Lionel Messi swap shirts with? Every player to trade jerseys with Inter Miami star after each MLS, Cup match

Swapping jerseys before, during, or after a football match has become a ritual that permeates throughout every layer of the game. It is considered a sign of respect to request a trade of an opponent, and a sign of mutual admiration to comply.

As Lionel Messi has blossomed into the player many call the greatest to ever live, a swap with the Argentine legend have become more coveted than ever, not only providing the recipient with a physical memento to last a lifetime, but a glittering resume bullet point as well.

With Messi now at Inter Miami, and the U.S. media constantly hovering over his every move, Messi's shirt swap following each match has been watched closely, and players who receive Messi's game-worn jersey proudly display the badge of honor even after defeat.

The Sporting News has compiled all the available information about who, after each Inter Miami match, has received a pink No. 10 jersey with the all-important five letters on the back.

MORE: Odds for Lionel Messi to score in the next Inter Miami match

Who got Lionel Messi shirt swap in last Inter Miami match?

No player managed to secure a swap with Lionel Messi through his first two Major League Soccer games, as the New York Red Bulls and Nashville SC were left without a souvenir.

Yet finally, the two-game stretch of no shirt swap was ended, as the west coast trip to BMO Stadium on September 3 provided our next lucky individual. LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy, whose incredible stop on Messi late in the first half left Selena Gomez with her mouth agape, got the honor of Messi's shirt.

McCarthy told Yahoo Sports journalist Andy Deossa that all it took was asking Messi "camiesta, por favor?" And the Argenine obliged. Probably had something to do with that filthy save too, we'd imagine.

Same, @selenagomez.

📺 #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV: https://t.co/NB4GCbdcxg pic.twitter.com/8OKDiQWrC7

— LAFC (@LAFC) September 4, 2023

Messi also had a nice moment after the match with Italian international Giorgio Chiellini, hugging it out and taking a photo with his two children, but it appeared that Chiellini had already completed a shirt swap, as he was holding a pink shirt in his hands, while Messi had his on still, meaning the two did not conduct an exchange.

🇮🇹 Chiellini 🤝 Messi 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/hRiRoGFW5C

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 4, 2023

How does Messi decide who to trade jerseys with?

"I simply exchange with whoever happens to be there at that moment," Messi said to the Miami Herald in August, just prior to the Leagues Cup final. "I have had a chance to play against teams that had Argentine players and generally we swap shirts, but I also exchanged shirts with players in Europe, players who I knew from before... it's always nice to change shirts with friends or players I know."

However, there are reports that a lot more goes into the process than Messi is letting on. Pablo Maurer of The Athletic did a deep dive on the constant "maneuvering and deal-making" for Messi's swap, which he calls "lively".

Messi does have one rule, which he publicly established back in 2017: he never initiates a swap, only agrees to them. "I don't ask for shirts," Messi told Argentine television station TYC at the time. "If there is an Argentine, I will swap with an Argentine. If not and there is someone else that asks me, I will swap it with them. If not, I do not look and do not ask." So, has Messi ever asked, and stopped once his career blossomed into where it is today? Or has that been a lifelong rule? "I asked, once," Messi said. "I asked [Zinedine] Zidane."

While the recipient will clearly cherish and appreciate what they have earned, Messi also feels a sense of pride and accomplishment in the ritual, and he displays the hard-earned shirts proudly at his home.

"I have them all saved in my house in Barcelona where I have all the important mementos of my career," Messi told the Miami Herald. This is something he has been open about previously. He has posted photos to social media of an entire room completely covered in shirts from opposing players on every single wall, and even the ceiling.

 

 

 

 

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All players to have swapped shirts with Lionel Messi this season

The first players to get a Leo Messi shirt from his time at Inter Miami were Cruz Azul's two Argentine players Carlos Rotondi and Augusto Lotti. Messi may have felt a twinge of obligation, if not to those two then to Inter Miami owner David Beckham, after Rotondi joked that he would "destroy the locker room" at DRV PNK Stadium if he didn't get Messi's shirt after their Leagues Cup match.

Some are not so lucky. Atlanta United midfielder Santiago Sosa wanted to trade jerseys with Messi, but when Messi informed him that he had already swapped with Thiago Almada, Sosa decided to hand Messi his own jersey anyway. Messi, of course, accepted.

*Team won via penalty shootout