Has Lionel Messi ever played on artificial turf?

“As a professional athlete, you can’t play a game like soccer on that sort of field,” insisted David Beckham, after the LA Galaxy star had sat out a match at Toronto’s BMO Field in 2007. “What it does to your body, as a soccer player, you [need] two or three days off for that. Every game, every team should have grass, without a doubt.”

He is not the only big name European import to complain about the lack of natural grass at certain MLS venues. Thierry Henry often avoided artificial fields during his four-year stint with the New York Red Bulls. Didier Drogba did the same with CF Montreal. Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic did acquiesce to playing on artificial surfaces for the Galaxy, but only in crucial playoff matches.

In short, the more demanding artificial surfaces are thought to pose a greater risk to the aging stars who make the trip to MLS after a career of high-intensity action in Europe.

It’s a topic that Inter Miami will have to contend with this season as they look to ease their aging quartet of ex-Barcelona players through a gruelling season. Miami travel to New England Revolution’s Gillette Stadium this weekend, one of six MLS venues with an artificial surface. With Tata Martino anxious to avoid an injury to the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, will they play against New England on Saturday?

Has Lionel Messi ever played on artificial turf?

Lionel Messi was remarkably injury-free during his 20-year professional career in Europe but now, aged 36, is starting to pick up issues with greater frequency. Messi’s muscular injuries broke Miami’s moment in late 2023 and has kept him out of four games already this season. A trip to Gillette Stadium may seem like a risk for the Herons captain but he has previously insisted that he has no concerns about playing on artificial turf. Messi played on Charlotte FC’s artificial turf field in Miami’s last game of 2023 and did not appear to suffer any adverse effects.

“The truth is my youth was spent on artificial turf, my whole life was on that pitch,” Messi said shortly after joining Miami. “Truth is it’s been a while since I’ve played on artificial turf, but I have no problem adapting myself again.”

Messi also played on a hybrid turf-grass surface fairly recently, during his time with Paris Saint-Germain. Ligue Un side FC Lorient’s Stade Yves Allainmat features a AirFibr surface, with a mixture of natural grass and synthetic fibres. The hybrid option was likely more forgiving on the joints that the all-artificial offering at Gillette Stadium but Messi seems willing to play against New England.

How many MLS teams have artificial turf fields?

Now 17 years on from Beckham’s complaint, there are still six team in MLS that use artificial turf in their stadiums: New England Revolution (Gillette Stadium), Seattle Sounders (Lumen Field), Vancouver Whitecaps (BC Place), Portland Timbers (Providence Park), Charlotte FC (Bank of America Stadium) and Atlanta United (Mercedes-Benz Stadium).

So far the only venue that Inter Miami have visited since Messi’s arrival last summer was Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a game that the Argentine missed. Miami boss Martino said that Messi was absent for the 5-2 loss “because he has muscular fatigue,” rather than anything surface-related. Given that he had missed the previous game against Sporting Kansas City too, it’s fair to assume that Messi’s absence was injury-enforced.

Less clear is the status of Luis Suarez. The 37-year-old striker has struggled with knee injuries in recent years and did not play on artificial surfaces during his time with Brazilian team Gremio. Suarez’s on-field mobility is now lacking but he remains a potent attacking force, scoring eight goals and contributing six assists in 13 games for Miami. The veteran Uruguayan will likely not feature in the trip to New England on Saturday, a chance for his aging knees to rest.