Lionel Messi has been diagnosed with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring, Inter Miami confirmed on Monday, casting doubt over his availability for Argentina’s pre-World Cup training camp just days before the defending champions are due to begin their preparations for the title defence.
Messi was substituted in the 73rd minute of Inter Miami’s MLS fixture against the Philadelphia Union on Sunday, having appeared to feel discomfort in his left leg moments earlier. He was seen grabbing at the back of his leg before being replaced and walked off the field without assistance, heading directly to the dressing room. Miami won the match 6-4, with Messi having contributed two assists in the first half before the problem emerged.
The club confirmed on Monday that Messi had undergone testing, almost certainly including an MRI examination, following which he was diagnosed with what they described as “an overload associated with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring.” The team had initially said only that he was substituted due to “physical discomfort.”
Inter Miami gave no specific timeline for his return. “The timeline for his return to physical activity will depend on his clinical and functional progress,” the club said in an official statement, leaving the situation open-ended at a particularly delicate moment in the footballing calendar.
Heavy rain fell during the second half of Sunday’s match, leaving the pitch slippery, though it remains unclear whether the conditions contributed to Messi’s discomfort or whether it was unrelated to the surface.
Argentina have two pre-tournament friendlies scheduled: against Honduras on 6 June in College Station, Texas, and against Iceland on 9 June in Auburn, Alabama, both to be played in college football stadiums with a combined capacity of around 180,000. The extent to which Messi can participate in those fixtures, or in the training camp itself, now depends on how quickly the hamstring issue resolves.
The defending champions are in Group J for the World Cup, with matches against Algeria in Kansas City on 16 June, Austria in Arlington on 22 June and Jordan, again in Arlington, on 27 June.
Messi has appeared at five previous World Cups and is the only player in history to have won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player twice, first in 2014 and then in 2022 when he led Argentina to the title in Qatar. He will turn 39 during the tournament, making his fitness all the more precious to a nation that has built its entire World Cup campaign around his involvement.
