Inter Miami faced an issue when Lionel Messi missed training before the first leg of their playoff match against Nashville SC. However, concerns eased with updates on the star player.
Reports from Argentine outlet Olé stated that Messi’s absence was precautionary due to minor back discomfort, which is not expected to cause long-term issues. If there are no setbacks, Messi is set to return to full training on Wednesday with the rest of the team.
This means he should be ready to play against Nashville, a significant advantage for head coach Javier Mascherano, who will also have key players like Rodrigo De Paul, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets available.
Managing Messi’s workload
At 38, Messi has had a heavy workload recently. He participated in three full matches within a week: facing Atlanta United (October 11) and Nashville SC (October 18) in MLS, with an international friendly for Argentina against Puerto Rico (October 14) in between.
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Nashville. (Getty Images)
Messi played the full 90 minutes in all three matches, scoring five goals — including a hat-trick against Nashville and a brace versus Atlanta — and contributing two assists for Argentina.
As a result of this performance, Messi ended the MLS regular season with 29 goals, earning the Golden Boot, finishing ahead of Denis Bouanga (LAFC) and Sam Surridge (Nashville SC), who both scored 24 goals.
He is also favored to win consecutive MLS MVP awards, which would make him the first player in league history to achieve this milestone.