Lionel Messi in fitness race for Argentina vs Brazil, Uruguay World Cup qualifiers? Mascherano drops bombshell update | Football News

Lionel Messi, who is already 37-years-old, has been appearing in plenty of matches for Inter Miami lately. He was most recently in action during Inter Miami’s 2-1 win vs Atlanta United, where he also scored a goal in the first-half.

After a hectic start to the 2025 season, with three games in seven days, Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano decided to rest Messi for three games. The Argentine didn’t feature against Houston Dynamo, Cavalier FC and Charlotte FC. He returned to action against Cavalier in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 fixture, on Thursday.

Defending his side’s fitness management of Messi, Mascherano said, “There were some voices saying that we were taking a risk, but we had it planned. The idea was that he play 30-35 minutes in Jamaica to have good feelings again. In the end, we were able to find the time to do it well.”

“We tried to take away from the overload Messi had, so that it wouldn’t go further than that. We tried to handle it in the best way. Luckily, we were able to control it and that it didn’t turn into an injury or much more. Today he’s better and we decided to start giving him minutes. There’s no secret in this.”

‘In contact with Argentina team doctors’: Javier Mascherano

Messi will also be featuring for Argentina in the upcoming March international window, and Mascherano revealed that Inter Miami’s medical staff have been in constant contact with the South American side’s doctors.

“Obviously the [Argentina national team] doctors are in contact with the doctors here and they are the ones who specifically talk about that. I haven’t spoken with the coaching staff, but if they have any consultation, I will talk to them. I don’t think it will be necessary because the doctors are in contact all time,” he added.

In March, Argentina face Uruguay and Brazil in their World Cup qualifiers. They lead the CONMEBOL standings with 25 points in 12 matches.