Here’s video of Messi’s first public training session since ankle injury six weeks ago
Lionel Messi is one step closer to playing in a game for Inter Miami after a six-week injury layoff.
The Argentine star trained in front of media on Wednesday morning for the first time since suffering a ligament injury to his right ankle during the Copa America final on July 14. Messi spent the first five weeks of his recovery in the gym, and last week returned to on-field individual workouts.
Wearing bright green cleats and then changing to pink, Messi warmed up on his own with a trainer on Wednesday morning. He seemed to be moving well as he performed footwork drills and short-burst jogs. He later put on the green vest used by injured players on the mend and joined the rest of the team in the rondo (a drill in which players get in a circle and play keep away with the ball).
Messi has missed 19 of 34 games this season due to injury and national team duty. He has missed the past seven games since his ankle injury, including the 2-0 home win against FC Cincinnati on Saturday.
Coach Tata Martino said there is no estimate for his return but indicated it will be soon.
“It will depend on how he feels after he begins training sessions on the field [with the team],” Martino said before the Cincinnati game. “He is not training with the group yet, but he has been out on the field working with a physio for the past three or four days and is progressing well.”
Martino added that part of an athlete’s recovery is physical, the other part is mental, and Messi, 37, is recovering in both ways as he returns to field workouts.
Messi’s omission from Argentina’s national team for upcoming World Cup qualifying matches in early September was expected, Martino said, because he is still not in condition to play.
Miami, which has the best record in MLS and clinched a playoff spot with eight games to spare, plays on the road against the Chicago Fire on Saturday, which doesn’t give Messi much time to get in game shape. Typically when injured players return to on-field training they do a week or two on their own, then join the group for non-contact drills before progressing to full practice and instra-squad scrimmages.
After this weekend the league halts for two weeks during the FIFA break and Inter Miami has its next game at home Sept. 14 against the Philadelphia Union. Barring any setbacks, that game seems a logical guess for Messi’s return. That would give him seven regular seasons to find peak form for the playoffs.
Chicago Fire Offers Vouchers If Messi Does Not Play
Last season, a sellout crowd of 61,000 at Soldier Field was disappointed that Messi, who was injured at the time, did not make the trip for the Inter Miami road game against the Chicago Fire.
This year, the Fire was prepared for the possibility of another Messi no-show.
If Messi does not play on Saturday, fans who bought tickets will receive one of three perks: credit toward season-ticket membership, complimentary tickets to the Fire’s fan appreciation match in October, or single-match tickets to next year’s matchup against Inter Miami. The offer was dependent on the date of purchase.
Last season, the Fire made up for Messi’s absence by offering fans who attended the game a $250 account credit toward a membership for the 2024 season.
David Martinez adapts to MLS
Center back David Martinez, who joined inter Miami last month on loan from Argentine club River Plate, said it is his dream to return to River Plate some day, but for now, he is enjoying this new chapter of his career.
“It is wonderful playing with the level of players on this team and I am enjoying the day-to-day with them,” said Martinez, a dual Argentina-Paraguay citizen who represents Paraguay on the international stage. “This is a very competitive league with elite players and I am learning a lot. It is a different style of play here from what I was accustomed to in Argentina, very physical, but it is very competitive. My teammates have embraced me and made it a very easy transition.”
This story was originally published August 28, 2024 at 10:37 AM.