Messi trains apart from Argentina and is a doubt for the Honduras friendly
Lionel Messi has spent this week training away from the main Argentina group, and the captain looks set to sit out Saturday's friendly against Honduras as the world champions take no chances with his hamstring ahead of the World Cup.
The 38-year-old picked up the problem in Inter Miami's last match before Major League Soccer paused for the international window. He took a free kick during the 6-4 win over Philadelphia Union on May 24, immediately reached for the back of his left leg and asked to be replaced in the 73rd minute. Inter Miami later described it as an overload in the hamstring and pointedly declined to put a date on his return.
No reason to rush
That caution suits everyone. Argentina do not kick off their title defence until June 16, when they meet Algeria, which leaves Lionel Scaloni room to ease his captain back rather than risk him in a warm-up that decides nothing. Messi has been doing individual work on the side while the rest of the squad goes through full sessions, the kind of managed return a 38-year-old with a tight hamstring tends to get when a World Cup is two weeks away.
Scaloni has tried to keep the temperature down. The coach named Messi in his squad without hesitation and has spoken about controlling the forward's minutes across the tournament, treating the June friendlies as fitness work rather than must-play occasions. Inside the camp the expectation is that he will be ready for Algeria even if he does not get on the pitch before then.
Two friendlies, limited minutes
Argentina have two tune-ups in the United States before the tournament. Honduras come first at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, on June 6, followed by Iceland at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn three days later. If Messi sits out the first, as looks likely, the Iceland game on June 9 becomes the obvious point to hand him a controlled run-out, assuming the hamstring has settled.
Even a short appearance would do. Messi has played plenty of football this year for Inter Miami, so this is about sharpness and confidence in the leg rather than building a base. Scaloni would happily take 30 minutes against Iceland and a clean training week over any risk taken for the sake of a friendly result.
A sixth World Cup at stake
The stakes are why nobody in the Argentina set-up is gambling. This is Messi's sixth World Cup, a mark only he and Cristiano Ronaldo will reach, and almost certainly his last. He arrives as the man who lifted the trophy in 2022, and Argentina are again among the favourites in a group that also contains Austria and Jordan.
For now the message from the camp is calm. A hamstring overload picked up in late May, ten days of careful management, and a captain who should be fit for the only game that matters in June. Argentina would rather see Messi watch the Honduras friendly from the bench than push him a day too early.
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