Tata Martino has revealed why Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez didn’t feature for Inter Miami today against Hong Kong XI.
The attacking duo were both unused substitutes in the Herons 4-1 win in Asia, with Leonardo Campana the star of the show for Inter Miami in Hong Kong.
Yet the main story from the friendly has been Messi and Suarez not taking to the field, with David Beckham being booed post-match by Hong Kong supporters, yet Martino had a reason for why the pair didn’t feature.
Martino told the press when asked about Messi and Suarez’s absence: “We understand there is a lot of disappointment among fans because of the absence of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.
“This has been the decision of the medical team, we have checked their physical situation, and if we sent them on the pitch, we would have risked their physical well-being.
“We understand fans are very disappointed and we ask for their forgiveness. We wish we could have sent them on the pitch for a while to play, but the risk was too big.”
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez couldn’t be risked in Hong Kong XI friendly
Given how many games Inter Miami are playing this pre-season and how many miles the squad are travelling, Messi and Suarez are obviously not going to play every fixture.
The duo might be superstars in their own right and two of the most legendary attackers on the planet, but at 36 and 37 respectively, Messi and Suarez are in the twilight of their career.
As a result, Martino and the Inter Miami medical team were well within their right to not play Messi and Suarez today against Hong Kong XI.
With the MLS season just over two weeks away from starting, the pair need to be fit and firing for the Herons, and overworking Messi and Suarez for publicity sake will do little to help Inter Miami where it matters most.