Argentina captain Lionel Messi missed his team’s 2-0 friendly victory over Honduras on Saturday as he continues recovering from muscle fatigue and a minor left hamstring strain ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
The 38-year-old football icon took part in the pre-match warm-up at Kyle Field in Texas but remained on the bench throughout the match as Argentina’s coaching staff carefully managed his fitness.
Argentina officials said Messi’s return to action will depend on his ongoing recovery and medical assessment. The reigning world champions are scheduled to face Iceland on Tuesday in Alabama in their final warm-up match before the World Cup begins.
Messi has recently been following an individualized training program. During a session in Kansas City, he trained separately from the main squad while focusing on conditioning work.
Argentina will launch its FIFA World Cup campaign against Algeria on June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium, with fans eagerly awaiting confirmation of Messi’s availability.
Widely expected to retire from international football after the tournament, Messi enters the World Cup as one of the competition’s greatest players. He currently holds the record for the most World Cup appearances with 26 matches and is just four goals away from surpassing Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record of 16 goals.
The latest injury update has sparked concern among Argentina supporters, who hope their star forward will be fully fit for the tournament opener.
