The current situation with Lionel Messi and his injury with Inter Miami is as follows: Every time the team says he’ll play, he doesn’t.
It was business as usual on Saturday, when the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was left off the roster to face New York City FC in a Major League Soccer match that may have major postseason ramifications for both teams. Inter Miami has not commented on the seriousness of Messi’s leg injury.
About 45 minutes before Saturday’s game time, the team announced that Messi would not be playing.
The 36-year-old superstar has now missed four of Inter Miami’s past five games and one for Argentina in that period due to what was initially dubbed weariness but has since turned into something else. His 37-minute performance on September 20 against Toronto was the only game he played in during that timeframe, and he left that game before halfway with what the team claims is a leg ailment connected to an old scar tissue condition.
Inter Miami was five points behind NYCFC before into Saturday night’s play, and they had two games in hand. It may still affect its own postseason fate by competing for one of the nine Eastern Conference playoff berths.
There will be only four MLS games left after this Saturday. Even if some fans spend hundreds of dollars to witness Messi play in a match, his standing to them is still a mystery.
Many supporters have reacted negatively to team messages on social media because of the lack of information on Messi’s condition. Comments such as “Post the squad and don’t fool your own fans” were left on a Saturday afternoon post hyping up the NYCFC game. Please feel some guilt. and “Can you guys explain what’s going on with Messi?”
Messi’s health isn’t the only topic of conversation among fans and players these days. Notices to renew Inter Miami season tickets were mailed out this week, and they feature significant price hikes across the board for the upcoming season.
The price of a season ticket in the section where Inter Miami’s most devoted fans stand, chant, and wave banners for the duration of matches is set to increase 82% (from $485 to $884) in 2024, while the price of a seat near the midfield is set to increase 98% (from $1,333 to $2,635), and other fans have been warned to expect an increase of more than 100%.
Next year’s most costly season tickets will cost more than $40,000, and that doesn’t include the cost of suites.
With Messi signing a 2 1/2 year contract worth an average of more than $50 million per year, it was inevitable that transfer fees would increase, and that’s not even counting the money Inter Miami spent on Jordi Alba (also injured and out for the season) and Sergio Busquets in the middle of the year.
It’s also obvious that the group is seeing record levels of income. It comes as no surprise that Messi’s shirt is the most popular in Major League Soccer, as the league announced on Friday.
Even though Messi didn’t join Inter Miami until July, purchases on the site date back to January 1. Nothing that the group has sold independently is included either.
In 12 games this season, Messi has scored 11 times for Inter Miami. When he is on the field, the squad has a record of 8-0-4, with seven of those wins coming during the team’s historic run to win the League Cup. Ironically, this success caused some to question how much Messi was being pushed to play so soon after joining his new club. He has played in four Major League Soccer games and one semifinal of the U.S. Open Cup.
With four games without Messi since signing the legend, the squad entered Saturday with a 1-2-1 record. When Messi plays, Inter Miami outscores their opponents 29-12; when he doesn’t, they only win by two goals.
