Lionel Messi’s Injury History at Inter Miami After Latest Setback Against Nashville

• Lionel Messi asked to be substituted in Inter Miami’s 3-1 win against Nashville
• He had scored and assisted the first two goals before he asked to be removed
• Head coach, Gerardo Martino, has ruled him out of the clash against DC United

Lionel Messi was substituted in the second half of Inter Miami's 3-1 win over Nashville SC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup as a precaution for muscle discomfort.

He had assisted Luis Suarez for the opening goal and scored the second to put Miami 2-0 up before going into half-time, exiting the game five minutes into the second half.

Head coach, Gerardo Martino, provided an update on the captain’s fitness and appeared to rule him out of the MLS league game against DC United on Saturday.

"He is overloaded on the right posterior [leg]. We don't want to run a risk. We tried to see if he could go for a little longer, but it was bothering him. I imagine that for Saturday's game against DC United, he is not going to be available," Tata said via Goal.

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Messi's injury history at Miami

The Argentina captain joined the club officially on July 1, 2023, after running down his Paris Saint-Germain contract. He made his debut on July 21 in the Leagues Cup.

Per Transfermarkt, he has missed 31 days and eight games for the Herons with three injuries, all of which were muscular. In September, he also missed Argentina’s 3-0 win over Bolivia in La Paz.

How Messi's injuries affect Miami

The team struggles to win without him, and the only competitive game they have lost this season was the 3-2 defeat to Montreal, which was in his absence.

Messi's influence helped the team to win their first-ever trophy last year, the 2023 Leagues Cup, beating Nashville 10-9 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes.

The club were up for a second trophy, the US Open Cup, but he was missing due to injury and could only watch from the stands as his team lost 2-1 to Houston Dynamo.

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Inter Miami’s games without Messi

Sports Brief has also analysed Inter Miami’s games without Messi after the team lost their first game of the season to CF Montreal when he was given a deserved break.

The Herons have played nine games without him since his arrival and have a win rate of 11.1%, with their only victory coming against Sporting Kansas City in September.