Lionel Messi is the GOAT, but even GOATs get up in age, and at 37, the Inter Miami star continues to provide magic but is not as fast or as durable as he once was. This season, Messi missed nearly half of the MLS regular season due to national team commitments and injury.
He is expected to return to the Argentine national team in October for World Cup qualifying, and in 103 minutes against Charlotte FC, he scored his 15th goal in just 16 games in Major League Soccer this year.
On Tuesday, Franco Panizo spoke to Inter Miami assistant coach Javier Morales about how Lionel Messi is feeling down the stretch of the regular season.
Javier Morales on Lionel Messi
When asked about Lionel Messi looking visibly tired, as he had his hands on his sides or on his knees during the game against Charlotte, Morales stated, “(Messi) also made a deep run in the 90th minute where he was almost fouled. Leo is a player that starts getting into game shape as he plays games.
“He most likely ran out of breath at the start of the game, but as the game went on, he got into the game. We saw his numbers on the GPS, and it was above his average, and we hope against Columbus he continues to get better.”
Inter Miami will play the Columbus Crew in what could be a prelude to a playoff series on Wednesday.