Lionel Messi's participation in Argentina's upcoming friendlies in the United States has been halted by a hamstring injury, confirmed by the Argentina Football Association on Monday.
The Inter Miami superstar was set to play in friendlies against El Salvador in Philadelphia on Friday and Costa Rica in Los Angeles on March 26.
However, the 36-year-old Argentine captain has not recovered from a hamstring tweak sustained during Miami's 3-1 win over Nashville in the CONCACAF Champions Cup last week.
Messi, substituted just after halftime in the win over Nashville, missed Miami's victory over D.C. United in Washington on Saturday.
"The captain of Argentina, Lionel Messi, will not be able to be in the squad for the friendlies in the U.S. due to a minor injury to the hamstring of his right leg suffered in his team's match against Nashville SC," the Argentine federation said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Miami coach Gerardo Martino hinted after Saturday's win over Washington that Messi might miss the March internationals, saying the team wanted to ensure he was fit for next month's CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals.
"It is clear that with him there is an objective that he can play in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. We're not going to take any risks," Martino said.
Fans who bought tickets to watch Lionel Messi in Hong Kong, only for him to sit out the friendly, will get a 50% refund – as long as they don't pursue legal action.
A sellout crowd paid HK$ 880 ($110) to see the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in action on Feb. 4 in an Inter Miami tour match against a Hong Kong select XI.
But the 36-year-old Argentine remained on the bench with an injury, drawing boos from the crowd – and then controversy in China, which saw his absence as a political snub.
Organizer Tatler Asia on Monday offered a 50% refund for "those who purchased tickets through official channels for the match."
Those who want some of their money back will have to agree to terms and conditions that include not pursuing "proceedings before any court of law, tribunal, or regulatory authority."
Under fire for its handling of the fiasco, Tatler withdrew its application for a HK$16 million government grant to fund the event the day after the match.
Inter Miami's next stop after Hong Kong was Japan – where Messi played 30 minutes of a friendly match against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo, much to the anger of Chinese fans.
