Lionel Messi sheds light on missing FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay: ‘It’s a shame to…’ | Football News

Argentina great Lionel Messi shared a message after he was ruled out of the national team squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South American rivals Uruguay and Brazil. Messi has sustained a “low-grade” adductor injury confirmed by his club Inter Miami. The 37-year-old felt discomfort during Inter Miami’s 2-1 win over Atalanta United, where he scored the opening goal for the team. Messi has had a shaky start to the season in the USA, as he has been dealing with fitness concerns. This month, Messi missed three games but returned on Thursday for the second leg of the round-of-16 CONCACAF Champions Cup tie against Cavalier SC. However, now his recent injury is a big blow to the Argentine team.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner posted an Instagram story sharing an update on his unavailability for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the coming international break.

“It’s sad to miss these two very special matches with the National Team against Uruguay and Brazil. As always, I wanted to be there, but at the last moment, a not-so-serious injury that forces me to stop for a while before returning to play left me out,” Messi explained on his Instagram account.

He further vowed to cheer his team as a fan for the two big clashes.

“From here, I will be cheering and supporting as just another fan. Vamos Argentina!” he concluded his message.

Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, can ensure qualification for next year’s tournament in their next two games.

They lead the 10-team South American qualifying group by five points ahead of the game with Uruguay in Montevideo.

Argentina will also miss the services of injured Roma striker Paulo Dybala and River Plate full-back Paulo Montiel. Lionel Scaloni also dropped Alejandro Garnacho and Claudio Echeverri from the larger squad announced on March 2.