For the US Open Cup Final, Lionel Messi’s Situation Is Uncertain

For Inter Miami’s U.S. Open Cup final game versus Houston on Wednesday night, Lionel Messi’s condition is still unknown.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner missed the team’s 1-1 draw against Orlando on Sunday after being substituted out of a game against Toronto on September 20 in the first half due to a leg injury. He had missed three full matches in the previous two weeks—two for club and one for nation.

Messi was absent from the pitch for the section of Tuesday’s training session that was open to press. Messi’s status won’t be decided on till Wednesday, according to Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who was speaking at a post-practice press conference at the team’s headquarters in Fort Lauderdale.

Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets said that lacking the greatest player in the world is a disadvantage.

Messi’s leg issue’s nature is yet unknown. Messi’s absences were first attributed to fatigue, but Martino finally revealed last week that the issue is caused by scar tissue from an earlier injury. During the game on September 20, Messi could be seen stretching sometimes, as if he were experiencing some form of physical problem.

Martino said that Jordi Alba, another midseason addition by Inter Miami, is anticipated to miss the Cup final due to injury. He departed the Toronto match on September 20 only three minutes before Messi was replaced.

Messi, 36, was absent from Inter Miami’s 5-2 defeat to Atlanta United on September 16 and Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier on September 12. He made a comeback for the match on September 20 but didn’t even last until halfway.

Three games are coming up for Inter Miami, who are still in the mix to qualify for the Major League Soccer playoffs. The club hosts New York City FC on Saturday, travels to Chicago on October 4, and then faces Cincinnati at home on October 7.

Any choice about Messi’s availability for the forthcoming MLS games will be determined after Wednesday, according to Martino.

Since Messi made his debut for the club, the squad has won nine and tied five of its 15 games, suffering only one defeat. Three of the draws occurred during tournament play, with Inter Miami winning all three times on penalties. Two of those ties occurred in the Leagues Cup, including the Miami club’s first-ever championship game versus Nashville, and one occurred in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals.

Messi, who will earn between $125 million and $150 million for Inter Miami over the course of his two and a half year deal, has participated in 12 games for Miami, the majority of which have been Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup contests. In four MLS games, he has one goal and two assists in addition to his 11 goals and eight assists.

However, there are worries that Messi’s burden from playing so often is starting to show.

Busquets said, “We’re not machines; we’re not robots.” “We’d want to play in every game without becoming worn out or hurt. But we have no control over it.

On the secondary market, match tickets for Wednesday ranged in price from approximately $170 to more than $5,000 each (sales were encouraged by the club Tuesday morning, despite Messi’s condition being uncertain).

Messi won the Leagues Cup trophy, his 44th major title overall in his career and the most in global history for club and nation combined.