Lionel Messi To Miss Inter Miami's MLS Orlando Clash
After the Florida Derby clash with Orlando, Inter will host the LA Galaxy on August 16 and three days later they play a Leagues Cup quarter-final against Mexico's Tigres UANL.
Messi, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, missed the club's last Leagues Cup group stage match after suffering the "minor muscle injury" in his upper right leg in Miami's win over Necaxa on August 2.
Inter are currently fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference, eight points behind leaders Philadelphia and a point ahead of Orlando with three matches in hand.
Despite the setback for Messi, Miami have been buoyed by the arrival of his Argentine compatriot Rodrigo De Paul, who scored his first goal for the Herons in a 3-1 victory over Pumas UNAM that clinched their Leagues Cup quarter-final berth.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
6 hours ago
- The Hindu
Lionel Messi set to return from injury against LA Galaxy
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi is ready to return from injury for Saturday's match against the Los Angeles Galaxy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., head coach Javier Mascherano said Friday. The 38-year-old forward missed the Herons' last two matches with a right leg injury sustained in the first half of a Leagues Cup win against Necaxa on August 2. Messi returned to training earlier this week. 'Leo is fine,' Mascherano said. 'He's been with the team since Wednesday. We believe that if nothing unusual happens, he'll be called up for tomorrow's game.' Messi is tied with Nashville's Sam Surridge in the race for the MLS Golden Boot with 18 goals. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner from Argentina also has 10 assists in 17 MLS matches this season. Miami (12-5-6, 42 points) enters the weekend in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, currently six points above the playoff cutline. The Herons have also reached the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Indian Express
How Emiliano Martinez and Ronaldinho helped in convincing Messi to travel to India in December
Argentina's World Cup winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez had arrived in Kolkata about seven months after he won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and three months later Ronaldinho came calling. The exhibition tour of the two players was a big hit. Before they left, Satadru Dutta, the man who convinced the two footballers to make the trip to Kolkata, requested them to put in a good word with Argentina football icon Lionel Messi. Messi is a longtime teammate of Martinez at the international level. Ronaldinho was Barcelona's talisman when Messi had made his debut with Spanish giants in 2004 at the age of 17. Messi is now on board. He is set to kick off his four-city tour in Kolkata on December 12. From Kolkata he will be in Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. Dutta, who has played a role in bringing the likes of Pele and Maradona to Kolkata, is excited. 'The football world is a small circle,' Dutta tells The Indian Express. 'When I got Emi Martinez and Ronaldinho to Kolkata, I told them that I am trying to bring Messi to India and your review will matter. If you can give a good review to his team and even Messi himself, it will help. Touchwood, I executed it in a neat and clean way, they gave a very good review to Messi,' Dutta said. What followed was a chat with Messi's father and agent, Jorge, in July last year in Miami, USA, where the Argentina captain currently plays for Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer (MLS). While Messi senior told Dutta that he likes the idea, it wasn't going to be possible to do it in 2024. 'I just said if it would be possible over the next one or two years, he said 'I love the idea',' Dutta said. The visit this year won't be Messi's first trip to India. That was made in 2011, when he played a friendly against Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. That also happened to be Messi's first match as Argentina captain. When Dutta met Messi in February this year, he showed him clips from that match, and photos of a 75-foot statue of Messi lifting the World Cup, which he had erected in a Durga Pooja pandal that Ronaldinho inaugurated in 2023. 'He was touched by that,' Dutta said. A multiple-city tour was the only way enough sponsors would come on board to make Messi's trip feasible for the organisers. 'If it is not multiple cities, it won't be financially viable,' Dutta said. After landing in Kolkata on December 12,the next day Messi will attend the unveiling of a statue of his followed by a 'GOAT Concert' and 'GOAT Cup', the venue of which is yet to be decided. The GOAT Cup will be a celebratory seven-a-side soft-touch football match, with Messi teaming up alongside Sourav Ganguly, Leander Paes, John Abraham and Bhaichung Bhutia. Tickets are likely to start at Rs 3,500 and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to felicitate Messi during the programme. This will be followed by a flight to Ahmedabad on the evening of December 13, where Dutta says Messi will be attending a private event with some of his sponsors. Messi then moves to Mumbai on December 14. Messi will be in Delhi on December 15, where he will have another GOAT Concert at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Dutta also said that Messi will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'We will seek an appointment from the Prime Minister,' Dutta said.
The Hindu
9 hours ago
- The Hindu
New Real Madrid signing Mastantuono praises fellow Argentine Lionel Messi during unveiling
Newly signed Real Madrid player Franco Mastantuono praised former Barcelona star Lionel Messi during his introduction on Thursday. The 18-year-old Mastantuono, who signed a six-year deal with Madrid, said he considers his countryman the best player in the world. 'For me, the best player in the world is Messi. I'm from Argentina, and I think he's the greatest player there is,' Mastantuono said. READ ALSO: Lyon terminate veteran Matic's contract a year early Messi dueled with Cristiano Ronaldo for years when he played for Barcelona and Ronaldo — also considered by many the best in the world — played for Madrid. 'Messi meant a lot to Barcelona and to all the Argentines who watched him play,' Mastantuono said. 'Real Madrid is the greatest club in the world and in history. I'm here to make my mark, and what I most want is for Real Madrid fans to be happy with what I can do on the pitch.' Ronaldo is playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, while Messi is with Inter Miami in the United States. Mastantuono turned 18 on Thursday. He underwent his medical and signed the contract alongside Madrid president Florentino Pérez. 'I never imagined I'd be spending my birthday like this,' the former River Plate player said. Madrid had already reached a deal for his signing but had to wait until he turned 18. The club reportedly paid 45 million euros ($52.5 million) in the transfer. Mastantuono said European champion Paris Saint-Germain was among the clubs that wanted to sign him. 'It's true that a number of teams showed an interest in me,' he said. 'I was lucky enough to speak to (PSG coach) Luis Enrique, he was very honest with me and I thank him immensely for the interest. He's an amazing coach and I think he showed that this year.' Madrid's first La Liga match is at home against Osasuna on Tuesday.
