Lionel Messi has been ruled out of Argentina’s upcoming friendlies in the United States with a hamstring injury, the Argentina Football Association announced on Monday.
The Inter Miami superstar was scheduled to play for the world champions in friendlies against El Salvador in Philadelphia on Friday and Costa Rica in Los Angeles on March 26.
However, the 36-year-old Argentine captain has yet to recover from a hamstring injury sustained during Miami’s 3-1 victory over Nashville in the CONCACAF Champions Cup the previous week.
Messi, who was replaced shortly after halftime in the win over Nashville, did not play in Miami’s victory over D.C. United in Washington on Saturday.
“The captain of Argentina, Lionel Messi, will be unable to join the squad for the friendlies in the United States due to a minor injury to the hamstring of his right leg sustained in his team’s match against Nashville SC,” the Argentine federation stated in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Miami coach Gerardo Martino hinted after his team’s win over Washington on Saturday that Messi might miss the March internationals to ensure his fitness for next month’s CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals.
“It’s clear that he wants to play in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals. “We’re not going to take any risks,” Martino stated.
