BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Mar 18 (Agencies): Lionel Messi will miss Argentina's World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil over the next eight days because of an injury to his adductor.
Argentina great Lionel Messi shared a message after he was ruled out of the national team squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South American rivals Uruguay and Brazil.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner posted an Instagram story sharing an update on his unavailability for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the coming international break.
"It's sad to miss these two very special matches with the National Team against Uruguay and Brazil. As always, I wanted to be there, but at the last moment, a not-so-serious injury that forces me to stop for a while before returning to play left me out," Messi explained on his Instagram account.
Earlier, the 37-year-old Messi was not included in the 25-man squad announced on Monday by coach Lionel Scaloni. Later Monday, Inter Miami said Messi - the reigning Major League Soccer MVP - underwent an MRI "to assess the extent of the discomfort in his adductor region," an injury that the team said occurred in Sunday's win over Atlanta United.
"The examination's findings confirmed the presence of a low-grade injury in the adductor muscle," Inter Miami said. "His clinical progress and response to treatment will determine his availability for competition."
Argentine media initially reported Messi suffered a sore left thigh on Sunday during Inter Miami's 2-1 victory.
Argentina, which leads South America, will visit second-placed Uruguay on Friday and host fifth-placed Brazil four days later at Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.
Messi was not the only absentee for the two matches that could seal Argentina's qualification. Scaloni also dropped Alejandro Garnacho and Claudio Echeverri from the larger squad announced on March 02.
Messi, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner who captained and led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, has been sidelined several times by Inter Miami this season because of injury concerns.
