Why isn’t Lionel Messi playing for Inter Miami?

For the first time in Inter Miami’s monster preseason schedule, Lionel Messi is absent from the starting XI.

The Herons have traveled to Saudi Arabia for the latest leg of their globe-trotting tour and take on Al-Nassr on Thursday. Messi, to much surprise, was omitted from the team by Miami head coach Tata Martino.

The match had been billed as a last dance between Messi and long-time foe Cristiano Ronaldo. Hopes of a final showdown were dashed earlier this week when the Saudi side confirmed that Ronaldo would be unavailable due to a muscular injury.

We now know that neither Messi nor Ronaldo will feature from the start.

Is Lionel Messi injured?

Inter Miami have not yet given a reason for Messi’s absence from the team, but it is likely a precaution to avoid over-working the Argentine in the early weeks of the 2024 campaign. ESPN Argentina report that the Inter Miami captain is struggling with muscular soreness in his left hamstring.

Last month Martino outlined his intention to regularly rest the four ex-Barcelona superstars to ensure that they remain fresh for the duration of the season.

He said: “We have a responsibility to make sure the fans feel well represented on the field when our big stars aren’t playing. If the fans know that for different reasons Leo [Messi] won’t be there or [Busquets] won’t be there or Jordi, but we will have a very competitive team, that is an important message.”

For Inter Miami, who are hoping to recoup the huge financial outlay on Messi, these preseason fixtures are an important commercial exercise. However Martino emphasised that he will not let the financial incentives disrupt his team’s preparations.

“The best players are usually on the field, but we also must make sure our team is healthy and can last an entire season. That was difficult last season, the issue of if we were selling more tickets or fewer tickets, people wanting to know who was playing.”