Muscle fatigue is a prevalent issue among athletes who maintain a rigorous playing schedule, particularly when they do so without sufficient rest periods. This challenge becomes even more pronounced for athletes of Lionel Messi’s age. For athletes operating at the peak of this wonderful game, fitness is of prime importance for being able to feature and perform at crucial fixtures.
In an era where health and medical teams are bent upon ensuring perfect fitness for a player, Lionel Messi has been a doubt for a few games now because of how much he’s played for Inter Miami, starting most of their games since he joined. While on International duty, he could not feature against Bolivia, and now he’s been completely sidelined as he suffers from muscle fatigue.
Lionel Messi injury update
Following his debut against Cruz Azul in July, Lionel Messi has played almost every match for Inter Miami, either scoring or assisting in those matches. During the International break, the 36-year-old Argentine could not feature against Bolivia because of apparent weakness and other respiratory risks posed by the stadium’s high altitude.
It is clear that the Inter Miami forward has been struggling to manage his fitness for a few games now, considering his age and the frequency of his feature in Inter Miami games.
On Wednesday, the 36-year-old Argentine superstar made an early exit from the match, departing in the 37th minute. This departure followed just two minutes after Spanish fullback Jordi Alba was also forced to leave the game. Despite these setbacks, Inter Miami CF had an abundance of firepower in their reserves, and they went on to secure an emphatic 4-0 victory over Toronto in MLS action.
Messi, clearly unhappy, made his way back to the bench, where he sat down with his head hung backwards in frustration. As the first half continued with eight minutes of stoppage time remaining, he eventually walked to the locker room.
Inter Miami fans headed towards exit following Messi sub
Following Messi’s injury, Inter Miami fans were disappointed, seeing that the 7-time Ballon d’Or winner was their focal point of attraction. Perhaps, others thought that the team would lose again, considering how they lost to Atlanta without Lionel Messi.
Unfortunately, the fans’ frustration may be in a continuum, seeing that both Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba will be sidelined for Inter Miami’s upcoming match against Orlando on Sunday, following their premature exits during the 4-0 victory against Toronto on Wednesday.
Coach Tata Martino also expressed uncertainty about Messi’s availability for the US Open Cup final against the Houston Dynamo next week, saying;
“They trained normally, and we felt like they were ready to play. I don’t believe it’s anything new or anything worse than what they had. It’s fatigue.”
“I don’t think it’s a muscular injury. There is no chance for them to play the Orlando match, but I do not think it’s anything serious or muscle injuries. I think it is just fatigue.”
Tata concluded by saying that Lionel Messi’s fatigue will be monitored closely henceforth to facilitate his quick return to the team.
