Lionel Messi, recovering from left hamstring soreness, is healthy enough to possibly appear in at least one of Argentina’s two warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni updated the superstar’s condition on Friday ahead of the team’s friendlies on Saturday against Honduras in College Station, Texas, and on Tuesday vs. Iceland in Auburn, Ala.
“Leo is doing well,” Scaloni said. “Leo trained for a part (of the Friday practice) 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 (Saturday) or the next one. But he’s doing a lot better and that gives us tranquility.”
Messi, 38, got hurt in a May 24 match for Inter Miami, the club side’s last match before MLS shut down for two months due to the World Cup.
Argentina are the defending World Cup champions, and Messi won the Golden Ball, given to the best player, at the 2022 event in Qatar.
Through 14 matches for Inter Miami this season, Messi has 12 goals and eight assists. Earlier Friday, he was selected to the MLS All-Star team for the July 29 match in Charlotte against the top players from Mexico’s Liga MX.
Messi has played 198 matches for his country, scoring 116 goals, the second-highest total ever in international competition. Cristiano Ronaldo has 143 goals for Portugal.
No one has played in more World Cup matches than Messi, who has appeared in 26, one more than Germany’s Lothar Matthaus. Messi and Ronaldo are set to play in their sixth World Cup, which would set an all-time record.
Argentina’s Group J schedule at the upcoming World Cup features matches against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City, Mo.; against Austria on June 22 at Arlington, Texas; and against Jordan on June 27 at Arlington.
–Field Level Media
