Lionel Messi injury update: Star misses practice, latest before MLS playoffs begin Safid Deen, USA TODAYOctober 22, 2025 at 12:03 AM 0 FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Lionel Messi was the only Inter Miami player who did not train with the club on Tuesday, Oct.
- - Lionel Messi injury update: Star misses practice, latest before MLS playoffs begin
Safid Deen, USA TODAYOctober 22, 2025 at 12:03 AM
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FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Lionel Messi was the only Inter Miami player who did not train with the club on Tuesday, Oct. 21, three days before their first match in the MLS Cup Playoffs. He did not practice due to minor back discomfort, the team announced.
Inter Miami (the No. 3 seed) will face Nashville SC (the No. 6 seed) in the best-of-three first-round playoff series. Inter Miami hosts Game 1 on Friday, Oct. 25. Game 2 will be in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 1. Game 3 will be at Inter Miami on Saturday, Nov. 8 – if necessary.
Inter Miami will again open practice to media on Thursday, Oct. 23, before Game 1. Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano is also expected to speak before the next training session to confirm Messi's playoff availability.
NEW: Lionel Messi was the only Inter Miami player on Tuesday morning who did not practice, but co-owner Sir David Beckham (wearing all black) was in attendance. It's unclear why Messi is absent. Inter Miami hosts Nashville SC in the first playoff game on Friday at 8pm. pic.twitter.com/su1p4OEnaa
— Safid Deen 💯💯💯💯 (@Safid_Deen) October 21, 2025
Messi follows MVP season with similar form
Messi had a hat trick with an assist in a 5-2 win at Nashville last Saturday, Sept. 18 in the regular-season finale. Messi clinched the MLS Golden Boot with 29 goals and finished tied for the league lead with 19 assists. His 48 total goal contributions in MLS play may have solidified his chance to be the first back-to-back MVP in league history. MLS awards finalists will be announced Thursday
New Inter Miami midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who played with Messi on the World Cup-winning Argentine national team, and three-year defender Noah Allen said Tuesday the club's goal is to win its first MLS Cup final on Dec. 6.
Inter Miami has already fallen short on four possible trophies in 2025. They lost in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals to the Vancouver Whitecaps in April. They fell in the FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain in June. They lost in the Leagues Cup final against the Seattle Sounders in August. And they were one win and a point shy of the Philadelphia Union for the Supporters' Shield last week.
The 2025 playoff games will also be the final matches for two of Inter Miami's former Barcelona players. Midfielder Sergio Busquets and left back Jordi Alba both announced plans to retire at the end of the 2025 season. While Messi is in talks to re-sign with the club, it's unclear if Luis Suarez will re-sign or retire when his contract is up at the end of the season.
"I have confidence in my team. We have the best of the best, and we're really excited," said De Paul, who will play in his first MLS playoff game after transferring from La Liga's Atlético Madrid in late July. "In soccer, it's not always the best team or the one that deserves it most that wins. So, we'll try to minimize that element of luck as much as possible, and do everything we can, give everything we've got so that the league, the championship and the playoffs go our way."
July 5, 2025: Lionel Messi celebrates with his Inter Miami teammate after scoring a goal against CF Montreal during the first half at Saputo Stadium. Messi had two goals in Inter Miami's 4-1 win.
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July 5, 2025: Lionel Messi celebrates with his Inter Miami teammate after scoring a goal against CF Montreal during the first half at Saputo Stadium. Messi had two goals in Inter Miami's 4-1 win.
">July 5, 2025: Lionel Messi celebrates with his Inter Miami teammate after scoring a goal against CF Montreal during the first half at Saputo Stadium. Messi had two goals in Inter Miami's 4-1 win.
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May 31, 2025: Lionel Messi scores a goal against the Columbus Crew at Chase Stadium. Messi scored two goals in Inter Miami's 5-1 win.
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May 31, 2025: Lionel Messi scores a goal against the Columbus Crew at Chase Stadium. Messi scored two goals in Inter Miami's 5-1 win.
">May 31, 2025: Lionel Messi scores a goal against the Columbus Crew at Chase Stadium. Messi scored two goals in Inter Miami's 5-1 win.
" src=https://ift.tt/DJhvYab class=caas-img>May 3, 2025: Lionel Messi celebrates with Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez (9) after scoring a goal against the New York Red Bulls at Chase Stadium. Inter Miami won the game, 4-1.
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May 3, 2025: Lionel Messi celebrates with Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez (9) after scoring a goal against the New York Red Bulls at Chase Stadium. Inter Miami won the game, 4-1.
">May 3, 2025: Lionel Messi celebrates with Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez (9) after scoring a goal against the New York Red Bulls at Chase Stadium. Inter Miami won the game, 4-1.
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1 / 36Lionel Messi in MLS: Photos from soccer star's tenure with Inter MiamiSept. 24, 2025: Lionel Messi celebrates his goal against New York City FC at Citi Field. Messi scored two goals in Inter Miami's 4-0 win.Messi and Inter Miami look to rebound from 2024 upset
Messi and Inter Miami were bounced from the first round of the playoffs last season by No. 9-seed Atlanta United, despite being the No. 1 overall seed and the 2024 Supporters' Shield champions under former coach Tata Martino. It was considered one of the biggest upsets in MLS history, while the L.A. Galaxy won the 2024 MLS Cup.
Inter Miami has only made the MLS playoffs twice in its five-year history, losing to New York City FC in a single-elimination, first-round match in 2022. Inter Miami did not reach the MLS playoffs in 2023 when Messi, Busquets and Alba arrived midseason. Suarez arrived in 2024, while Mascherano took over this season.
"Yeah, we definitely want to win for them. But in general, we just want to win for the pain of last year, Allen said. "I think everyone that was here last year remembers it, so it kinda stayed with us. I think that's another big reason."
Inter Miami leads the all-time series against Nashville with seven wins, four losses and five draws — including the 2023 Leagues Cup tournament final, which they won on penalty kicks for the club's first title in the Messi era.
Despite Inter Miami's 5-2 win in their last meeting, Nashville led 2-1 at halftime. Sam Surridge, who finished tied for second in the Golden Boot race with 24 goals like LAFC's Denis Bouanga, scored in the 43rd minute. Jacob Shaffelburg also scored in first-half injury time (45'+6') for Nashville. Messi scored in the 34th, 63rd and 81st minutes, and assisted Telasco Segovia's final blow in 90'+1'. Baltazar Rodriguez (67') also scored for Inter Miami.
Allen said facing the same opponent in the playoffs immediately after their regular season has its inherent advantages and disadvantages, but Inter Miami needs to clean up its mistakes to ensure it can advance in the postseason.
"We got to win two games. We got to finish out two games to move on to the next round. This club has never advanced from one playoff game. So, this has to be the motivation in the team," Allen said. "Let's build off one playoff game, and let's move to the next round, and we go from there. Let's make more history, and do something that the club has never achieved."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Messi out of Inter Miami practice with injury before MLS Cup playoffs
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