Having had to leave Inter Miami CF’s Leagues Cup game against Liga MX early on, Lionel Messi played for less than 10 minutes on Saturday evening. Miami’s 38-year-old forward started the game. But after running in the seventh minute, he collided with two Necaxa defenders at the edge of the penalty area and appeared to be in agony as he got back on his feet.
Messi kept going a few more minutes, but eventually had to be replaced following medical treatment on the field from Inter Miami’s team physicians. In the 11th minute, he formally withdrew from the game; defensive midfielder Federico Redondo replaced him. Fortunately for the admirers at Miami’s Chase Stadium, things changed fast as Telasco Segovia scored the first goal less than two minutes after Messi left the game.
Inter Miami fell to ten players later in the first half when Maxi Falcón, their center back, received a straight red card, but Necaxa leveled in the 33rd minute. There was no quick information on Messi’s health. Miami has been debating Messi’s physical toughness and playing time considerably this season. In 24 games throughout 2025, head coach Javier Mascherano has employed him for over 80 minutes.
Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas indicated weariness as the cause for the Argentine’s controversial choice to miss the MLS All-Star Game, which resulted in a one-match suspension. Lionel Messi has shown great stamina this season, besides missing the All-Star Game and the following MLS game against FC Cincinnati. Nevertheless, an injury would not be unexpected after a period of hard play, as he missed a long span following last season’s Copa América 2024.
Inter Miami is slated to face Pumas UNAM on Wednesday with the aim of moving beyond Phase One as one of the top four MLS clubs and advancing to the quarterfinals, hence playing at least one further Leagues Cup game in 2025. SportsByte’s special report on dominating pitchers in 2025 MLB. Read our complete article on – Who’ll Shine at the All-Star Game?
