Lionel Messi injured his hamstring during Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup triumph over Nashville last week, and he hasn’t fully healed.
The Argentina Football Association announced on Monday that Lionel Messi would not be playing in Argentina’s forthcoming friendlies against the United States because of a hamstring injury. Before playing Costa Rica in Los Angeles on March 26, the Inter Miami star was scheduled to start for the world champions in friendly matches against El Salvador in Philadelphia on Friday. But since he injured his hamstring during Miami’s 3-1 CONCACAF Champions Cup triumph over Nashville last week, the 36-year-old Argentine captain has not fully recovered.
Messi, who was replaced shortly after halftime in the win over Nashville, did not play in Miami’s victory over D.C. United in Washington on Saturday.
“The captain of Argentina, Lionel Messi, will be unable to join the squad for the friendlies in the United States due to a minor injury to the hamstring of his right leg sustained in his team’s match against Nashville SC,” the Argentine federation stated in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Miami coach Gerardo Martino intimated following his team’s win over Washington on Saturday that Messi might skip the March internationals to ensure his fitness for next month’s CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals.
“It’s evident that he wants to participate in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals. “We’re not going to take any risks,” Martino stated.
