Scaloni gives Messi fitness update days from World Cup
The fitness of the 8-time Ballon d’Or winner has been something of a concern for fans ahead of the World Cup.
We’re close enough that you can count the hours down without getting out a pen and paper; the World Cup is over there, on the horizon, and the tension is rising.
Teams are arriving on the North American continent to their respective training bases, getting out the cones and pumping up the footballs. Fans have the face paint bought and water bottles at the ready.
As part of their preparations, reigning champions Argentina have been focussing their efforts on getting Lionel Messi back to full fitness. The Inter Miami star suffered a hamstring injury in the final game of the domestic season, right before flying out to the Texas camp.
26 - Lionel Messi 🇦🇷 has made more @FIFAWorldCup appearances than any other player (26).
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 5, 2026
In the last edition in 2022, no player had more goal involvements (10), created more open play chances (17), or made more defensive-line breaking passes (19) than the Argentinean.
Master. pic.twitter.com/vueJE1fofc
Messi is “doing a lot better” ahead of World Cup
“Leo is doing well,” Scaloni revealed in a press conference on Friday. “Leo trained for a part with the group, which is important. He’s not fully separated; he’s coming along. He may be part of the friendly matches, getting some minutes in these two friendlies. We’ll see if it’s the one tomorrow or the next one. But he’s doing a lot better and that gives us tranquility.”
“The boys that are training separately are getting better. When we submitted the list, we knew of their situation. They are OK, but we don’t want to take a risk by having them participate in these friendlies. The idea is that they don’t play in these friendlies. This one tomorrow for sure. Maybe in the next one there is a possibility for someone to participate but that’s the situation.”
‘The boys’ include Leandro Paredes, Nico Paz, Gonzalo Montiel, and Nauhel Molina, who are all recovering from various physical issues. Scaloni kept the faith that they’ll be ready to go for the tournament, he also stressed that substituting them out is not an issue. “It can happen. Today we have the feeling that the guys are doing well, but what we’re completely sure of is that if any one of them is not available, they’ll be left out,” Scaloni said.
20 years after the first dance.
— adidas Football (@adidasfootball) June 5, 2026
a sixth FIFA World Cup.
ready for El Último Tango. 🩵🔁
introducing the Leo Messi Último Tango collection, available now 👉 https://t.co/resWn0IW4v pic.twitter.com/jqrOJw8Mgo
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