Published : 26 Aug 2026, 08:35 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:36 AM
Former Italy forward Giuseppe Rossi has warned that a move to Inter Miami for Neymar, reuniting him with old Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, could prove a "mistake" for MLS, according to Goal.com.
Speculation over a switch to South Florida has continued to swirl around the Brazilian, who endured a difficult return to boyhood club Santos, the football website said.
MLS has long leaned on marquee signings to draw crowds and generate buzz, with the likes of David Beckham, Heung-min Son, Steven Gerrard, Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney all having made the move across the Atlantic over the years.
Messi followed that trail in 2023, lured to the US by Beckham, and has since been the division's biggest draw in a league well aware of the pull his name carries. Neymar could be the next big name to make the switch.
At 34, though, Brazil's all-time leading scorer has struggled for form and fitness at both club and international level in recent times.
Rossi, now Head of Soccer at the New York Cosmos, questioned whether bringing Neymar into the fold would actually serve MLS well.
Speaking to the football outlet in association with BetBrothers, the former Manchester United star said the league kept "making mistakes" by chasing star power over substance.
"It's great marketing, it is what it is, but what kind of product are you putting on the field? Bringing Neymar back to reunite him with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, what are you trying to become as a league?"
He argued that if MLS wanted to rival Europe's top leagues, progress on the pitch was moving at a "snail's pace", even as the league chased clicks and views over footballing standards.
"Yes, they have made great strides, and well done to them for that. The valuations of the clubs are high and it's a great business model but what about the football? Is that growing and moving forward? I don't think so, and that's something that has to change," Rossi said.
He was also critical of the league's ownership structure, suggesting decision-makers were more focused on club valuations than the sport itself.
“They'd love to see Neymar come to MLS and play with Messi again but it's not going to grow MLS as a football league. That's what I think.”
Rossi did not rule out sporting upside to the move, pointing to Neymar's past success alongside Messi and Suarez at Camp Nou as evidence he could recapture lost form in Florida.
"If Neymar could make the move to Miami, why not? It would be great for him, and he's still a great player. I freaking love Neymar. He's one of the best players of his generation and I think everybody would love to see him play, and that's great for the fans and everything else," he said.
He nonetheless cautioned that piling more superstar names into the league risked undermining its credibility.
"I just look at it another way because there are pros and cons to everything, and yes everybody wants to see Neymar but it does take away from the integrity of the products itself by making MLS into even more of a circus than a true football league," Rossi said.
