Lionel Messi will not be joining Argentina for their World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay this month, failing to make the final roster on Monday after news of an injury surfaced in the last 24 hours.
His club team Inter Miami said Messi had undergone an MRI on Monday after feeling discomfort in his adductor during Sunday's 2-1 win over Atlanta United FC.
"Messi underwent an MRI this morning to assess the extent of the discomfort in his adductor region, which he experienced during last night's match against Atlanta United," Miami said in a statement. "The examination's findings confirmed the presence of a low-grade injury in the adductor muscle. His clinical progress and response to treatment will determine his availability for competition."
Messi also posted a statement on Instagram that said: "It's a shame to miss these special games with the Argentinian national team against Brazil and Uruguay. Like always, I wanted to be there but at the last minute an injury that isn't that important forced me to stop for a while before returning to play kept me out. But I will be supporting and cheering from here like a fan. Let's go Argentina!"
The 37-year-old was named to the initial 33-player roster for Argentina on March 2, despite concerns over his physical status. Messi had missed three matches for Inter Miami due to load management, before returning on Thursday for a substitute appearance in a Concacaf Champions Cup win over Cavalier FC.
After a busy start to the 2025 MLS campaign with three matches in the span of seven days, Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano announced Messi would be rested due to load management prior to the team's game against Houston Dynamo FC on March 2.
At the time, Mascherano emphasized Messi had not sustained an injury, but was being held out as a precautionary measure ahead of a long season that will include participation in this summer's inaugural Club World Cup.
Messi had been expected to make the latest Argentina squad after playing a full 90 minutes and scoring a nice goal against Atlanta United on Sunday.
In light of the injury, Messi was ultimately not included in Lionel Scaloni's side for a pair of World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay on March 21 and Brazil on March 25.
"We tried to take away from the overload Messi had, so that it wouldn't go further than that. We tried to handle it in the best way. Luckily, we were able to control it and that it didn't turn into an injury or much more. Today he's better and we decided to start giving him minutes. There's no secret in this," Mascherano said ahead of Sunday's match.
The coach later revealed that Inter Miami doctors were in constant communication with the Argentina national team medical staff to stay informed on Messi's status and be able to plan accordingly.
Mascherano said prior to the game against Atlanta that Messi would likely have no issues joining up with La Albiceleste.
"Obviously the Argentinian national team doctors are in contact with the doctors here and they are the ones who specifically talk about that. I haven't spoken with the coaching staff, but if they have any consultation, I will talk to them. I don't think it will be necessary because the doctors are in contact all time."
The hope now is that Messi will be returning to the pitch with Inter Miami on March 29 for a MLS regular season game against the Philadelphia Union.
La Albiceleste currently lead the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers with 25 points in 12 games.