By Safid Deen
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Lionel Messi’s right hamstring may not be 100%. But he’s still able to deliver highlight moments and give the impression he’s fully healthy.
Messi made his injury return, scoring a game-deciding goal in the 84th minute, Jordi Alba (43’) and Luis Suarez (89’) also scored goals, and Inter Miami beat the defending MLS Cup champion L.A. Galaxy 3-1 at Chase Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 16.
It appeared to be a laborious return to action for the Argentine World Cup champion, playing in his first match since suffering a right hamstring injury on Aug. 2.
Despite his highlight goal and a stellar heel assist to Suarez to cap his return, there were several instances where Messi was seen bent over, trying to stretch his hamstring during stoppages in play.
Messi waited by the closest part of the pitch near the locker room area and walked immediately inside the stadium corridor when the match concluded.
“He clearly wasn’t 100% comfortable,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said of Messi after the match. “Now, the reality is that as the minutes went by, he loosened up a little bit more. We’ll have to see how he ended up in terms of fatigue.”
The Galaxy match served as a barometer for Messi’s health before Inter Miami plays in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals against Tigres UANL, set for 8 p.m. ET on Aug. 20. Inter Miami’s next match in the MLS regular season is Aug. 23 on the road against D.C. United.
Messi entered Saturday’s match at halftime, walking onto the pitch and adjusting the captain’s armband around his left bicep as the second half began. He already caused a ruckus in the stadium, warming up before the first half ended.
Within two minutes, Messi fired his first shot in the 46th minute, which soared over the net. Ten minutes later, Messi sent a shot that was much closer to the net, barely above it.
Joseph Paintsil tied the match, 1-1, for the Galaxy in the 59th minute, setting the stage for Messi to decide the game in the final 10 minutes.
Messi finished the match, jogging close to full speed before providing a shifty finish around a defender to help Inter Miami secure the victory.
Messi became the second-fastest player in MLS history to reach 40 career goals, doing so in 44 league matches. Josef Martínez, the 2018 MLS MVP with Atlanta United who played alongside Messi on Inter Miami in 2023, did so in 42 matches.
“At the end of the day, he’s been out for two weeks with an injury. It was something very, very minor, and the three training sessions we had were good,” Mascherano said of Messi. “And I’ll say it again, the important thing is that he finished the game. I saw him get better as the minutes went by, but in the end, we’ll have to see how he is (Sunday), how he feels when he wakes up, and take it day by day.”
Messi’s injury caused him to miss two matches: Inter Miami advanced to the Leagues Cup knockout stage with a 3-1 win against Pumas on Aug. 6, then lost 4-1 to Orlando City in a regular-season match on Aug. 10.
Mascherano said Messi wanted to play on the road in Orlando, but it was “impossible.”
Messi’s health will continue to be the focus for Inter Miami in the next week.
“You have understand why Leo is Leo, because he always wants to be on the pitch. He’s happy there,” Mascherano said. “Sometimes we try to explain to him to go slowly, but in the end when he feels good, he knows himself like no one else. We tried to give him some minutes to start to find a good feeling for the next games.”
