Ahead of the World Cup, Argentina star Lionel Messi raised further injury fears when he requested to be substituted during Sunday’s Major League Soccer match between Inter Miami CF and the Philadelphia Union.
The Argentina captain was substituted in the 73rd minute of the match, which was played in Miami’s rainy weather, when he seemed to grasp the back of his left thigh, as reported on Monday. Fears of a major issue were allayed when Messi left the field without assistance and went directly down the tunnel.
Guillermo Hoyos, the coach of Inter Miami, subsequently maintained that the choice was made for preventative reasons rather than because of an injury.
After the game, Hoyos remarked, “As far as I know, we don’t have a [medical] report on that yet, but he really was fatigued.”
“The pitch was heavy, he was exhausted, and when in doubt, the standard approach is always to make sure you don’t take any risks.”
The 38-year-old is anticipated to return for what would be a record-equalling sixth appearance at football’s biggest tournament, but he has not yet formally confirmed that he would play for the Argentina national football team in the 2019 World Cup.
Since joining Inter Miami in 2023, Messi has carefully controlled his workload, although he has still missed time due to hamstring issues. Before selecting their team for the competition, Argentina is anticipated to keep a careful eye on his health.
