FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Lionel Messi knew he was injured the moment he tripped and fell on the pitch, rolling over to slap the ground in frustration.
Messi slowly walked from the penalty area across midfield, in front of Inter Miami’s bench as his frustration slowly boiled over. He slapped the back of his hips once, then slowly dropped to the pitch to sit.
Messi laid on his back, looking up at the sky – with fans inside Chase Stadium briefly concerned – before he sat up so a trainer could begin working on the inside of his inner right thigh.
Messi suffered the upper-leg injury less than 10 minutes into Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup victory via penalty shootout (2-2, 5-4 on penalty kicks) against Liga MX side Necaxa on Saturday, Aug. 2.
‘(Messi) felt discomfort, and we won’t be able to know until (Sunday) to know how severe the injury is,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the match. “There is probably something there. He wasn’t really in pain, but did feel a pull.”
Messi has dealt with recurring muscle injuries in the upper leg area during the later stages of his career – including during Inter Miami’s run in the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this summer, which he played through last month while turning 38 years old.
Against Necaxa on Saturday, Messi tripped while running past Necaxa defenders Raúl Sánchez and Alexis Peña toward the penalty area in the 6th minute of the match.
Messi waited until there was a stoppage in play to take a moment to rest before he was evaluated. He took off the captain’s armband and was substituted out in the 11th minute, replaced by midfielder Federico Redondo, and walked on his own toward Inter Miami’s locker rooms.
“We know he’s our most important player,” said Inter Miami’s Telasco Segovia, who scored in the 12th minute, shortly after Messi’s exit. “I hope he’s OK. I think so. Well, let’s wait and see what the doctors say.”
It was the second match in four days for Messi, who returned to action after having a week off. He skipped the MLS All-Star Game on July 23, then served a one-game suspension for skipping it on July 26.
Messi had two assists leading Inter Miami to victory in their first Leagues Cup match against Atlas on July 30, but complained of fatigue in the first half due to his layoff.
“Even if (the rest) seems better, for me it’s worse because I need to compete. I feel good physically the more matches I play and get into rhythm,” Messi told Apple TV. “The other day they didn’t let me compete, and I felt it in the first half, but the important thing is that we won.”
Mascherano, before the Necaxa match, added: “Leo made it very clear the other day after the game. I think it’s a message between the lines for everyone. He’s someone who feels much better playing than resting.”
Before Messi’s layoff, he played every minute in 22 of 23 matches with Inter Miami – showing no signs of slowing down despite his advanced age and workload.
Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas said during a recent press conference: “Load management is on Lionel Messi. … When he steps on the pitch, he will step off when the final whistle blows.”
Messi’s injury is a clear blow to Inter Miami – which sits in fifth place in the MLS Eastern Conference with 42 points in the regular season after winning the Supporters’ Shield last season.
It’s also a blow to the Leagues Cup tournament, which thrives off Messi’s presence. Messi led Inter Miami to the Leagues Cup title in 2023, but did not play in the 2024 tournament due to an ankle injury suffered during Copa America.
Leagues Cup executive director Thomas Mayo told USA TODAY Sports that Apple TV has experienced an over 100% increase in viewership during the first week of the 2025 tournament, with Inter Miami’s opening match ranking in the Top 3 on MLS Season Pass this year.
Inter Miami’s newest signee Rodrigo De Paul, who won the World Cup with Messi and Argentina, fueled his club Saturday with two assists and a made penalty kick in the victory. Jordi Alba scored the equalizer with a header in added time (90’+2’). Luis Suarez converted the last penalty kick, and goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo made a crucial save to help the club win without Messi.
Inter Miami will play Pumas on Aug. 6 in their final match of the Leagues Cup group stage.
Inter Miami will play two regular-season matches – at Orlando City on Aug. 10, and at home against the L.A. Galaxy on Aug. 16 – before the Leagues Cup quarterfinals on Aug. 19 and 20, if they qualify for the knockout stage.
“Obviously, you feel it. You feel it not having him (on) the pitch. He’s the best in the world,” Ríos Novo said of Messi. “We want him playing, but … we have to keep going. It’s no excuse. We have to work as hard as we can, and keep going.”