BUENOS AIRES: Lionel Messi will not participate in Argentina's upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Uruguay and Brazil due to an adductor injury.
The 37-year-old was excluded from the 25-man squad announced by coach Lionel Scaloni on Monday.
Inter Miami later confirmed that Messi underwent an MRI to evaluate the discomfort in his adductor region, which occurred during Sunday's victory over Atlanta United. The MRI revealed a low-grade injury to the adductor muscle, and his return to competition will depend on his clinical progress and response to treatment.
Initially, Argentine media reported that Messi suffered a sore left thigh during Inter Miami's 2-1 win. Argentina, currently leading South America in qualifying, will play against second-place Uruguay on Friday and then host fifth-place Brazil four days later in Buenos Aires.
Messi is not the only player missing from these crucial matches. Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Montiel, and Giovani Lo Celso are also unavailable. Coach Scaloni also decided to omit Alejandro Garnacho and Claudio Echeverri from the larger squad initially announced in March.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, who captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, has experienced several injury-related absences with Inter Miami this season. Just this month, Messi missed three games but returned for the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup round-of-16 tie against Cavalier SC.
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano had confirmed that Messi was fit to start against Atlanta on Sunday. Messi scored in the 20th minute, shortly before the reported injury occurred.