Lionel Messi sparked fresh injury concerns ahead of the World Cup after leaving Inter Miami CF’s MLS match against Philadelphia Union early on Sunday night.
The Argentina captain came off in the 73rd minute of Miami’s 6-4 win at Nu Stadium after grabbing the back of his left leg and signalling to the bench. The 38-year-old walked down the tunnel without visible assistance, but the timing of the issue immediately raised concern inside Argentina’s camp.
Guillermo Hoyos insisted after the match that Miami had not yet received a medical report and suggested fatigue played a major role in the substitution.
“As far as I know, we don’t have a medical report on that yet, but we will have one shortly,” Hoyos said.
“He was genuinely suffering from fatigue. He was tired, the pitch was heavy and when in doubt, the standard approach is always to ensure you don’t take any risks.”
Miami played in difficult conditions on a rain-soaked surface and Messi had already spent long stretches chasing transitions in an open game that produced 10 goals.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has managed his workload carefully since arriving in Miami in 2023. Hamstring issues disrupted parts of his pre-season earlier this year and forced the club to rotate him through congested fixture periods.
Any longer absence would create major problems for Argentina national football team less than three weeks before the World Cup begins in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Argentina open their campaign against Algeria national football team on 16 June in Kansas City. Lionel Scaloni’s squad will also play warm-up matches against Honduras in Texas on 6 June and Iceland on 9 June before the tournament starts.
Sunday’s match marked Miami’s final fixture before MLS pauses for the World Cup.
Messi has not officially confirmed his participation in the tournament, but he is widely expected to lead Argentina in what would become his sixth World Cup appearance, matching the all-time record.
