Messi Reportedly 'Refused' Champions League Punditry Role Because of Jamie Carragher

• Lionel Messi reportedly rejected the chance to appear on CBS as a pundit
• Kate Abdo has listed Jamie Carragher as the reason behind the rejection
• The Argentine star referred to the Liverpool legend as a 'donkey' in 2022

Kate Abdo has claimed that Lionel Messi amusingly turned down a Champions League punditry opportunity due to his ongoing feud with Jamie Carragher.

The popular presenter and her CBS Sports team, broadcasting from Miami, features Carragher, Thierry Henry, and Micah Richards in coverage of various matches, including Manchester United's 3-3 draw with Galatasaray.

Despite being in glamorous Miami, Inter Miami star Messi reportedly declined CBS Sports' invitation to make a guest appearance, citing the lingering discord with Carragher.

When Carragher blasted Messi's move to PSG

The rift originated in January 2022 when the ex-Liverpool star criticised Messi's move to Paris Saint-Germain, leading to the Argentine allegedly referring to Carragher as a donkey.

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"I had a little pop at [Cristiano] Ronaldo earlier in the season, didn’t think it was a great signing for [Manchester] United, then I said the example of Messi, I didn’t think Messi's a great signing for PSG," the former Liverpool defender said in January 2022.

Messi said to have rejected CBS invite

It appears the 36-year-old is not ready to forgive Carragher over his comments. Due to the Liverpool legend's presence on CBS Sports' Miami show, Messi opted not to participate, as humorously disclosed by Abdo.

"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."

Carragher stated that he views Messi's decision to decline a show appearance due to him as a noteworthy recognition, describing it as a 'claim to fame'.

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He then inquired with the audience whether they would have preferred him over the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, considering the latter's widespread prominence in the soccer world since joining Inter Miami.

Messi calls Carragher a 'donkey'

Revealing more about Messi’s apparent 'donkey' remark, Carragher said at the time:

"During Monday Night Football, I received a private message on Instagram from the individual in question. While I won't be sharing private messages, he essentially referred to me as a donkey. I was on my way home from a game when I received the message, and my initial thought was that it couldn't be him; it must be a fake account.

The Liverpool legend then determined the DM was from Messi's official account:

"I had to resort to Google and translation tools because I had no idea what he had sent me," he stated in amusement.

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Sports Brief also previously reported on Argentina fans picking between Diego Maradona and Messi as the country's greatest player.

Seven people were asked the divisive question and the result was overwhelmingly in favour of the ex-Napoli and Boca Juniors captain.

This is definitely a huge ongoing debate in Argentina, which was blessed with the two geniuses who led the country to global success.