Lionel Messi has issued a clue on how long he could be out for after what happened during Inter Miami’s 2-1 win against the Chicago Fire.
The reigning Ballon d’Or holder has missed the last two Herons games having returned from the Copa America injured, with Messi twisting his ankle and leaving the pitch in tears, as Argentina went on to reclaim their South American title.
With Inter Miami not willing to rush Messi back from injury, there’s a real chance that the 37-year-old attacker could be out for some weeks, with the forward’s participation in MLS All-Star week already all but over.
And Messi last night dropped a big hint on when he could be back playing for Inter Miami.
Messi wearing protective boot in Inter Miami presentation vs Chicago Fire
Taking to the pitch this weekend for a celebratory presentation after winning his 45th career title, Messi walked out on Chase Stadium wearing a protective boot, a sign that the attacker might not be back for some time.
With Inter Miami’s next MLS game not until the end of August, though, Messi has plenty of time to recover and to gain fitness after a long and damaging summer with the Argentina national team.
Indeed, no specific time frame has yet been revealed for when Messi will be back, yet there’s a real chance that the Argentine superstar could be out for a month or more.
And with the Inter Miami captain walking out onto the pitch in a protective boot, Messi showed fans that they should not get their hopes up on the forward making a swift recovery from this latest injury.
Messi needs as much time as possible to fully recover
Since joining last year, Messi’s fitness has arguably been the most important thing for Inter Miami, with the Herons often relying on their star forward to win them crucial points with his moments of magic.
Although Tata Martino has this summer finally cracked the code on how to win without Messi, having the Argentine back as soon as possible will be huge for Inter Miami, yet time is what the forward needs.
Messi should be given as much time as possible to recover from his latest injury, and given how unusual Inter Miami’s schedule now is, the Herons can afford to do just that in the coming weeks.