Lionel Messi's Inter Miami dealt injury blow as manager confirms star player set to miss 2 games after picking up muscle injury
Inter Miami manager Gerardo 'Tata' Martino has confirmed that Lionel Messi's longtime teammate Jordi Alba will miss their two next matches. The legendary full-back was revealed to have picked up a muscle injury.
Jordi Alba made the decision to leave Barcelona as a free agent after 11 years at the Nou Camp. In the summer of 2023, he opted to join Messi in the MLS to play alongside the Argentine legend in Florida.
Last season, he played just seven MLS games, scoring one goal. This season, he has been in fine form, scoring once and assisting once in nine league games.
However, he would have to spend the next two games watching his teammates from the sidelines due to the knock he has picked up. Speaking in a press conference ahead of their outing against Nashville, Tata Martino explained Alba's absence (via ESPN):
"Jordi suffered a muscle injury, he will miss this upcoming match and the next one. After that, we will begin evaluating on a game-by-game basis."
The manager also spoke at length about Lionel Messi's fitness levels, after the playmaker spent some time on the sidelines:
"There's nothing special right now with Messi. We will be playing games on the weekends for the next few weeks, we just have one midweek game against Orlando City."
He added:
"We will evaluate those moments once the schedule begins to compress, but I don't think we need to analyze a special plan [for Messi] because he feels good. He's working well on a day-to-day basis, and at the pace we are going we will remain in the same way."
Lionel Messi wins MLS Player of the Matchday after Inter Miami vs Sporting KC
Lionel Messi played an important role in Inter Miami's 3-2 win over Sporting KC and was named MLS Player of the Matchday.
He provided the assist for the first goal and scored through a spectacular long-range effort for the second. Erik Thommy managed to score a brace for Kansas City, but it was Luis Suarez who sealed all three points for Inter Miami with a 71st-minute effort.
It comes as no surprise that Messi was named the Player of the Matchday for his stellar performance. He has been in remarkable form this season In his first five games and has already racked up ten goal contributions and will look to continue in that same vein of form as the season progresses.