Lionel Messi returned to the field for Inter Miami on Saturday, playing 35 minutes in the team’s 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati.
For the last four games, Messi nursed a recurring hamstring scar injury that relegated him to the sidelines. Inter Miami’s match against Cincinnati was the first game back for the Argentine in almost three weeks, and his first minutes on non-injury action since Miami’s win over LAFC on September 3rd.
Substituted on in the 55th minute, Messi looked his usual self as Inter Miami struggled to finish their chances for most of the match. Though the World Cup winner had some glimpses of magic, the Herons couldn’t find a way past Cincinnati’s impenetrable defense.
Messi will now join up with the Argentina national team in Buenos Arias later in the week ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay on October 12th and Peru on October 17th.
With the loss, Inter Miami is officially eliminated from playoff contention, with just two games to go in the regular season.
The Herons will close out the season against Charlotte FC at home on October 18th, then head up to North Carolina to play Charlottle FC again on October 21st.
Messi is back
There was plenty of speculation on the severity of Messi’s injury, but the club and manager Tata Martino deflected almost every journalistic probe.
With the Argentine returning to the pitch on Saturday, it showed that his hamstring needed some time to heal before it got any worse.
Miami just missed out on the playoffs, despite Messi’s best efforts. The team fought valiantly, but their overreliance on Messi harmed them in the end.
As the 2024 off-season approaches, Inter Miami will want to go after players who could improve the squad, and take the pressure off of Messi to carry the team.