Lionel Messi, the renowned football superstar who joined Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS), will miss an upcoming match against Atlanta United. This marks the first time Messi will be absent from a game since joining the club in July.
A source within the club revealed to CNN that the decision to rest the Argentinian World Cup winner is primarily due to the considerable number of games he has played since his arrival in the MLS. Contrary to speculation, the playing surface at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium did not play a role in the decision.
Messi’s arrival in the MLS had sparked a debate within the US soccer community about the potential physical impact of playing on an artificial surface. However, Messi himself addressed this during his introductory media conference with Inter Miami, stating that his youth was spent playing on artificial turf, and he had no issues adapting to it again.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who didn’t participate in Argentina’s World Cup qualifying match against Bolivia, did not travel with the team for the upcoming match. Instead, Messi shared an Instagram Stories post of a pizza order from Miami.
The stadium was expecting over 70,000 spectators to witness Messi’s performance. Inter Miami, which endured a nine-game winless streak before Messi’s arrival, has since been on an unbeaten streak of 11 games and secured its first trophy last month. Messi has participated in three MLS games this season.
