Lionel Messi deals with low-grade damage to the adductor muscle. This is the MRI exam revealed on Monday after it was announced that the global soccer icon will not play in Argentina in the World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay later this month.
InterMiami officially announced Messi's injury Monday evening, confirming that he had an MRI earlier in the day to “assess the degree of discomfort in the adduct area he experienced during last night's match against Atlanta United.”
The trial found an injury, and the team said in a statement that Messi's “clinical progression and response to treatment determines availability for competition.”
Messi appeared to be feeling uncomfortable in the area 64 minutes into the match after missing a shot in the goal in an InterMiami victory at Atlanta United on Sunday.
Argentina announced Monday morning that Messi was not on the final roster of two World Cup qualifiers after being initially selected on the 33-man player roster on March 2.
Miami has been cautious about using Messi this season, especially on a busy schedule, and has given him a break in three previous matches to manage his load.
Messi returned to the pitch earlier this week between Miami's Konkakafu Champions Cup match and Jamaican Club Cavalier FC.
Intermiami head coach Javier Mascherano claimed that Messi's absence had no connection to the injury before Sunday's game.
“We tried to get away from the overload that Messi had so we made sure it didn't go any further. We tried to handle it in the best way. Luckily, we were able to control it and control that it didn't change to injuries and so on. Today, he was well and we decided to start giving him the minutes. There's no secret to this,” Maschelano said. All ESPN.
Messi played in all 90 minutes of Sunday's Miami victory and scored a highlight reel goal in the 20th minute.
Argentina stole a sly handled ball at the Atlanta field end, danced around the defenders and lifted the ball over a diving bloody gutzer for goal.
