Lionel Messi’s withdrawal from the Argentina squad yesterday was a huge blow for boss Lionel Scaloni, but was it a further indication that this could represent a new chapter in the career of arguably the greatest player of all time?
For so long, Messi has played week in, week out – since making his debut for Barcelona in 2004 he has rarely spent too long in the treatment room.
His longevity is a testament to the way he conducts himself off the pitch. The 37-year-old has always been the consummate professional and never one to be seen falling out of nightclubs in the early hours.
There is no doubt, however, that his ability to maintain the level that has wowed fans for the past two decades is starting to be hampered by a succession of injuries.
Lionel Andres Messi ✨🐐 pic.twitter.com/WqYoIZNPEv
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) March 16, 2025
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Argentina absences start to add up
Since he dragged his country to World Cup glory in 2022 in Qatar, Messi has appeared in 19 of 28 games for Argentina, missing almost a third.
He was pivotal in Argentina backing up their World Cup success with victory at the Copa America last year but, even then, he was forced off after 64 minutes of the final against Colombia due to a non-contact ankle injury.
After the game, Scaloni gave an insight into Messi’s mindset.
He said: “He never wants to leave the pitch. He has a swollen ankle and wants to keep on playing. I prefer those types of players.
“His teammates see that he’s 30 something [years old] and he wants to contribute. He wants to play not because he has an ego. He wants to play because he doesn’t want to leave his teammates. He doesn’t want to leave them on the pitch, even when he’s in that condition. He doesn’t want to abandon his teammates. He doesn’t feel good when he has to leave the pitch. He was born to be on the pitch.”
Missed several games for Inter Miami
That approach will undoubtedly mean Messi is currently sitting at home in Miami hugely frustrated at being forced out of the World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise given the events of the past month.
Messi’s minutes have been managed carefully by Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano and the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was held out of games against Houston Dynamo, Cavalier and Charlotte. He started the second leg against Cavalier on the bench, making a goalscoring return after replacing Luis Suarez in Jamaica.
He then started and scored a typically brilliant goal against Atlanta United at the weekend but is now sidelined again with what his club describe as a “low-grade injury in the adductor muscle”.
Injury report 🩺
Read more here: https://t.co/rhRttJDWni pic.twitter.com/NC30CSmQix
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) March 17, 2025
Should Messi now be regarded as an impact player?
Age waits for no man and it may be his inclusion in the starting XI is no longer a formality, for club or country.
Miami will want to preserve him for key regular season games as well as the MLS playoffs, while, for Argentina, the end goal is defending their world title in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.
Messi remains of vital importance to both but it may be his role is transitioning from guaranteed starter to impact player.
The mind is willing but, at the moment, his body is letting him down.
