Lionel Messi set to miss Inter Miami game after making view clear on MLS choice

Messi inadvertently proving Ronaldo right at Inter Miami

Lionel Messi seems set to miss Inter Miami’s next MLS game against Atlanta United, per social media content posted by the player. The team captain shared an Instagram story showing him opening a pizza box from a Miami-based restaurant the day before their road game.

Messi, 36, has been on international duty with Argentina over the last fortnight and returned to the United States earlier this week. While in South America for the national team’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers, he missed last weekend’s 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City.

Leonardo Campana and Facundo Farias stepped up in his absence. The forwards between them scored all three goals as they came from behind to win.

It now seems they will need to raise their games again, as Messi looks set to miss a second straight game. What is for sure is he was not with the team Friday night in Atlanta, judging by his social media posts.

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“Gracias,” Messi captioned a video of him opening a Banchero Miami pizza. Inside, his order has sliced tomatoes, green olives, sliced onions and what appears to be pesto as toppings.

While his food was as healthy a pizza as you will ever see, it does not seem likely that is the type of meal Messi eats the night before a game. Therefore, Inter Miami may be without their talisman again at Atlanta.

Hopes about his involvement in the game had been raised earlier Friday after practicing with the team. Speaking this summer, he was also unwilling to rule out the possibility of playing on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s turf surface.

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However, it appears Messi will not be available this weekend. Head coach Tata Martino had warned that was a possibility when speaking with reporters Friday. “We will be careful with him because we have a lot of important games in a short span,” the Inter Miami coach said.

“This is something that we knew would happen at some point, but that he would begin to get used to our needs, especially for seasons like this with a lot of matches. Playing each match, 90 minutes each game, two to three days with travel in between would get difficult.”

Messi was also showing signs of some fatigue while representing Argentina. The country’s captain was uncharacteristically substituted ten minutes after scoring the only goal of their qualifier against Ecuador.

Messi explained the change afterward: “I was a little tired, so it happened that I went out, and surely it won’t be the last time I go out during matches.” He then went on to miss Argentina’s second match of the break versus Bolivia in La Paz.

The captain and his teammates were given oxygen before the game to combat the high altitude in the country’s capital. The Estadio Hernando Siles sits 3,637 meters above sea level, making it one of the highest stadiums in the world.

So Messi did not play as a precaution. Instead, he sat on the bench as an assistant coach.

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