Messi speaks in Tokyo. Here is what he said about his injury, status for game Wednesday
Lionel Messi spoke to the media in Tokyo on Tuesday morning and discussed the hip injury that kept him out of the game in Hong Kong Sunday. His absence from the field drew the ire of the crowd of 40,000 fans who had shown up to see him play.
He added that his condition has improved but he is unsure whether he will be able to play in the friendly match between Inter Miami and Japanese club Vissel Kobe on Wednesday (5 a.m. ET).
“It was very unfortunate that I was unable to play in Hong Kong,” Messi said. “In the first match in Saudi Arabia I felt discomfort in my (hip) adductor. I tried to play some minutes in the second match to see how I would feel because I had an MRI, which found I had an edema in the adductor, but not an injury, so I tried to play.
“Then we went to Hong Kong and had open training, so I went out because of the number of people who showed up (40,000) and because there was a clinic with children and I wanted to be there and participate. But honestly, the discomfort continued, and it was very difficult for me to play. It is lamentable that in futbol we can get injured at any time. It’s a shame because I always want to participate, especially when we traveled so far and the people were so excited to see us. Hopefully we can return and play another game in Hong Kong, the way I always do when I can. It was a shame.”
As for his availability for Wednesday’s game, Messi said: “We will train Tuesday. I will try it out again. I feel better compared to prior days but in all honesty, I still don’t know if I will be able to play. But I feel much better and am very eager to play.”
Inter Miami released video footage Tuesday of Messi at training, running and doing light drills with his teammates. Bundled up in a hoodie and sweat pants for the 34 degree weather, Messi smiled and waved at fans who called out to him from a distance.
Wednesday’s opponent, Vissel Kobe, is the former club of midfielder Andres Iniesta, Messi’s ex-teammate at FC Barcelona. Iniesta spent six years at Vissel Kobe, from 2018 to 2023.
“It’s a club we know since the arrival of Andres, I have followed a lot of their news, games and results, I know they were champions of the J League, and for sure we are facing a great club,” Messi said. “We are in preseason, and the most important date for us is Feb. 21, the date our league season begins. At this point we are coming from a stretch of a lot of games in a row, a lot of travel, time zone changes, and we hope to prepare the best we can for this game to keep growing and achieve good things in the future.”
Messi has traveled to Japan on many occasions, and said he is happy to be back, but eager to get home after so many days on the road.
“The team and myself are very happy to be in Japan, I have visited Japan several times before at different points in my career, with Barcelona, PSG and the national team and people have always treated me with a lot of affection, so it is nice to be back,” Messi said. “But I am a bit tired after such a long stretch of games and travel, and eager to have us play this last game and then return home.”
Cremaschi Earns MLS Grant for Weston FC
MLS on Tuesday announced the MLS NEXT Development Grant program, an initiative to recognize the contributions of MLS NEXT Elite Academies to the professional player pathway by investing in the youth development ecosystem. The program provides compensation to MLS NEXT Elite Academies (non-MLS academy programs) for eligible players who progress through the professional player pathway, from MLS NEXT Elite Academy to MLS club academy to an MLS first team as a Homegrown player.
Midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi, who started at Weston FC and rose through the Inter Miami academy ranks to the first team, was named one of the 10 first recipients of the program.
“Benjamin’s legacy at the Club serves as an inspiration for all our players; he is a role model emphasizing that with grit, determination, and humility, dreams can become reality,” said Weston FC technical director Luis Mendoza. “We are very appreciative of the grant being provided to us by MLS NEXT. Weston FC provides significant financial aid to players and families in need. This grant will help to support players who otherwise would not have the opportunity to play with an MLS NEXT club like ours.”
This story was originally published February 5, 2024 at 11:55 PM.