Is Lionel Messi Injured? Why Isn’t He Playing in the Inter Miami vs. Monterrey CONCACAF Champions Cup Clash?

In just a matter of time, Inter Miami will be taking on Monterrey for their CONCACAF Champions League match. Both sides will be looking for a satisfactory result in the first leg of the quarterfinals. However, the anticipation of the match has been marred by the news of Lionel Messi sitting out against the Mexican side. Does his absence indicate that La Pulga is still nursing his injury? 

According to journalist Gaston Edul, the decision to keep the Argentinian superstar on the sidelines comes from the Herons’ health department. They decided to continue his recovery so as not to take an unnecessary risk. Moreover, the 36-year-old is in the final stage of recovery. He even made a return to training before the match and took part in drills alongside the rest of the team. Notably, this is similar to what Tata Martino said earlier about Messi’s injury in the pre-match presser. 

Even though he expressed the importance of the match, the former River Plate manager insisted that ‘It’s only April, this is just beginning.’ Likewise, after his side played a draw against New York City, Martino made an uncertain claim about Messi’s return date. As it has been confirmed that he’ll miss the match 100%, it would be making things difficult for Miami as uncertainty arises if they can survive the clash in his absence. The results over the last two weeks in Messi’s absence haven’t been convincing enough. 

Aside from a 1-1 draw against NY City, they were thrashed 0-4 at the hands of the NY Red Bulls. Meanwhile, even though Messi is nursing his injury, the World Cup winner has been slammed for sacrificing Miami games for Copa America preparations.

Is Lionel Messi prioritizing Argentina over Inter Miami?

Lionel Messi’s extended absence from Inter Miami matches became a topic of discussion on a recent episode of ESPN FC Futbol Americas. Ale Moreno speculated that Messi may be taking time off to recharge and prepare for Argentina’s upcoming Copa America matches. “Maybe he is taking care of himself, looking ahead to Copa America,” he said. The pundit made an allegation against Messi that the player would readily sacrifice Miami over his national side. 

Fortunately, Argentina’s participation in the Copa America doesn’t begin until after June 20. Therefore, it’s unlikely that Messi would skip Miami games two months before the tournament. Yet, this is quite a bold claim from Moreno. So far, there is no news as to when Messi will make a return on the pitch. Until then, the 8x Ballon d’Or will be hoping that his side manages to handle the challenge against Monterrey and recovers quickly to finally take his side out of the mud. 

READ MORE: Luis Suarez Reveals the Real Reason Behind Choosing Inter Miami Over Liga MX Ahead of CONCACAF Champions Cup Showdown