Lionel Messi out of World Cup qualifying matches against Uruguay and Brazil
Lionel Messi will miss the two South American World Cup qualifying matches against Uruguay and Brazil.
Argentina star Lionel Messi will miss the upcoming South American World Cup qualifying matches against Uruguay and Brazil due to an apparent muscular injury.
The 37-year-old Messi was not included in the 25-man squad announced Monday by coach Lionel Scaloni.
Argentine media reported that Messi suffered a sore left thigh on Sunday during Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory over Atlanta United in the MLS.
However, the Argentine Football Association did not disclose the reasons for his absence.
Argentina, which leads the standings with 25 points, will visit second-place Uruguay on Friday and host fifth-place Brazil four days later at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.
Messi is not the only absentee for two matches that could seal Argentina's qualification. Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Montiel and Giovani Lo Celso have been ruled out, too.
Coach Scaloni also dropped Alejandro Garnacho and Claudio Echeverri from the larger squad he announced on Mar. 2.
World Cup winner Messi has been left out several times by Miami since the start of the season due to the risk of injury, his coach Javier Mascherano said.
This month, Messi did not play against the Houston Dynamo, Cavalier SC and Charlotte FC. He returned in the second leg of Miami's round-of-16 CONCACAF Champions Cup tie against Cavalier SC on Thursday.
But Mascherano said Messi was fit to start against Atlanta on Sunday. The player scored a goal in the 20th minute, just before he is reported to have been injured.
