Lionel Messi could be making a timely comeback for his struggling MLS team, Inter Miami, as they strive to keep their fading playoff hopes alive.
The renowned Argentine player has been conspicuously absent from the Herons’ lineup since returning from international duty nursing a muscle scarring issue.
Over the past five matches, the 36-year-old has only managed to play for 37 minutes, featuring just once during this period.
Fans of the Florida-based franchise will find comfort in the fact that their club captain has returned to training ahead of Inter Miami’s upcoming match against Cincinnati.
The seasoned forward was spotted practising on the field alongside his teammates at the Herons’ training facility on Friday.
Even more encouraging for the ardent followers of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is the subtle suggestion of the superstar’s potential availability on social media.
The Inter Miami Instagram account may have inadvertently revealed this by posting a photo of Messi with the caption, “See you tomorrow.”
Whether this cryptic hint will result in head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino opting to include him in the lineup for their next game at DRV PNK Stadium remains uncertain. Nevertheless, Miami’s reliance on their star player to make an immediate impact is undeniable if they wish to salvage their MLS season.
Despite making it to two cup finals this season, the Herons have faced difficulties in the Eastern Conference and currently find themselves second from the bottom. They trail Montreal by five points for the last playoff spot, with only three games left to engineer a remarkable comeback and secure a postseason berth.
Speaking ahead of Miami’s 4-1 loss to Chicago Fire, manager Martino acknowledged that the club’s medical team is closely monitoring Messi’s condition day by day.
He explained that Messi was expected to return to training in the near future, stating, “He should be training. It could be today or tomorrow. “The thing is tomorrow is a match day. Maybe he does the first part of training, the warm-up, but only because it’s a question of the quality of the training.”
Martino refrained from specifying an exact timeline for his captain’s full fitness return due to the unpredictable nature of his current health condition. He added, “I would say ‘one month’ if I knew it was one month.”
“I make a huge mistake if I say something hastily. That’s why I avoid exact times. I understand your desire to have exact times, but if I had exact times I would share them. But I don’t have them either.”
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini
This season he played in total 4 times for 247 minutes for Major League Soccer.
Lionel Messi scored 1 goal for Inter Miami. He procured twice assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 14th in Major League Soccer. In the last match Inter Miami lost 4-1 against Chicago Fire.
Inter Miami performance and stats
Inter Miami is currently 14th in the Major League Soccer with 33 points.
In the last 31 games, it has won 9 times, drawn 6 times, and lost 16 times. In its last match, Inter Miami lost 4-1 against Chicago Fire.
It has a negative goal difference after scoring 39 goals and conceding 50.
Inter Miami will play the next match in Major League Soccer against Cincinnati on Saturday 7th of October in Fort Lauderdale. The prediction is Inter Miami winning the match.