In a report that is both worrying and difficult to accept, Argentina may have to plan for their next two Copa America matches without their captain Lionel Messi. The 37-year-old GOAT began experiencing hamstring issues during the match against Chile and was advised to rest against Peru as a precaution.
Now, those precautions have turned into serious concerns as per Leo Paradizo of ESPN Argentina, Messi might miss the quarterfinals due to persistent hamstring problems.
Paradizo reported that Messi returned to his family home in Florida on the team’s day off and did not take well to the news of potentially missing Argentina’s quarterfinal match.
Messi’s Injury Issues
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In March, Messi struggled with hamstring problems that kept him out of several Inter Miami and Argentina matches. Prior to that, he was sidelined due to a scar tissue injury and abductor injury.
Lionel Messi vies for the ball with Erick Pulgar during a match between Argentina and Chile
Early in his Barcelona career, Messi suffered from hamstring injuries on six occasions, with his most severe injury to date being a fractured foot in 2006, which sidelined him for 19 matches.
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Argentina has not performed up to their usual standard in this Copa America, managing a decent but not convincing victory over Canada and securing a late win against Chile. Messi had several scoring opportunities in both games but failed to convert, although he did assist teammates in scoring goals.
