2 min readUpdated: May 25, 2026 08:59 AM IST
Lionel Messi suffered an injury scare on Sunday during his last Inter Miami appearance before linking up with Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2026 preparations. Featuring for about 70 minutes of a stunning 6-4 win over Philadelphia CC, Messi signalled to the bench before being subbed off.
The 2022 World Cup hero powered a brace of assists in a frenetic first half, during which eight goals were scored between the sides, an all-time Major League Soccer (MLS) record. Clutching his left hamstring, Messi walked towards the touchline in the 71st minute and was replaced by Mateo Silvetti two minutes later when the ball went out of play.
Speaking after the match, Miami head coach Guillermo Hoyos downplayed the 38-year-old Messi’s injury as “fatigue”.
‘He was tired’
“As far as I know, we don’t have a medical report on that yet. We will have one shortly, but he was truly fatigued in that regard,” Hoyos told reporters.
🚨 Messi came off with discomfort in his left hamstring in his last match before the World Cup.
I hope it’s nothing serious! 🙏🤲pic.twitter.com/cdW8MNdCc9
— MessiXtra (@MessiXtraHQ) May 25, 2026
When asked what Messi had intimated the staff on the sidelines when requesting for a substitution, Hoyos added: “It’s fatigue, fatigue… He was tired, the pitch was heavy, and when in doubt, what you always do is try to make sure he doesn’t take any risks.”
On the field, veteran Luis Suarez ended the deadlock in the 80th minute for Miami before Messi’s Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul extended the lead in injury time.
Defending champions Argentina are only three weeks away from their June 16 World Cup opener against Algeria. While Messi hasn’t officially been named for a historic sixth tournament appearance, the eight-time Ballon d’Or is fully expected to wear the captain’s armband for Lionel Scaloni alongside De Paul.
Competing in Group J, Argentina will also take on Austria (June 22) and Jordan (June 27) in the league stage of the expanded 48-team competition. Messi has been in fine touch leading up to the World Cup, topping the MLS leaderboard wit 20 goal contributions (12 goals, eight assists).
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