Messi suffers hamstring injury during Miami’s win over Necaxa
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Fort Lauderdale: Lionel Messi sustained a hamstring injury during Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup penalty shootout win over Club Necaxa, forcing him off the pitch just 11 minutes into the match at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The injury occurred while Messi was dribbling into the box and collided with Necaxa’s Raúl Sánchez and Alexis Peña. After stumbling to the ground, a visibly frustrated Messi slammed the turf. Although he briefly attempted to continue, he soon called for medical assistance and was substituted. Federico Redondo came on to replace him.
“Leo felt discomfort in his hamstring,” said Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano following the match. “We won’t know the extent of the injury until tomorrow. He probably has something wrong. It might not be that serious because he wasn’t in pain, but he did feel discomfort.”
The Argentine star has a long history of hamstring-related issues and has missed several matches in recent seasons due to various leg injuries. Earlier this year, he was sidelined for two of Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers due to a left adductor problem.
Despite those concerns, Messi has enjoyed a relatively consistent run in 2025, making 30 appearances across all competitions for Inter Miami, including the Concacaf Champions Cup, Club World Cup, Leagues Cup, and Major League Soccer regular season.
While Messi has yet to score in this year’s Leagues Cup, he currently shares the lead in MLS with 18 goals. His recent consistent playing stretch contrasts sharply with his injury-hit first two seasons in the league. In the 2023 Leagues Cup, he featured in all seven matches of Inter Miami’s title-winning campaign but was then limited to just six of the final 12 regular-season games due to minor injuries.
In 2024, he suffered a major setback during the Copa America final with Argentina, tearing a leg muscle that required a lengthy recovery. Despite being limited to 19 MLS appearances that season, Messi delivered 20 goals and 16 assists, earning the league’s 2024 Most Valuable Player award.
With IANS inputs
