Lionel Messi, the Argentine football legend, is nearing his return to competitive action after an injury layoff that has kept him out since July. The 35-year-old forward has been spotted training with his Inter Miami teammates, fueling speculation about his imminent comeback.
Messi suffered an ankle ligament injury during the second half of Argentina’s Copa America 2024 final victory over Colombia. He was forced to leave the field with the scores level at 0-0 and was visibly distressed. Lautaro Martinez eventually scored the winning goal in extra time to secure a 1-0 triumph.
Since then, Messi has been sidelined with the ankle injury. He missed Inter Miami’s recent matches and was not included in Argentina’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia.
Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino has provided an update on Messi’s recovery. “He is developing well,” Martino said. “It was foreseeable that he would not be with Argentina because he is not yet in a position to play, but we continue to see him develop. There is no estimate, because you are already starting to see how you feel as you add training on the field.”
Martino added that Messi is “feeling better and better” and has been training on the field for several days. “We cannot give time because we do not know and it would be speculating about something that may not be possible to do, but it is close,” Martino said.
Messi’s return will be a major boost for Inter Miami, who are currently 10th in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer. The Argentine superstar is expected to make his comeback before the end of the regular season, which concludes on October 9.
