MIAMI: Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi will be sidelined indefinitely with what the MLS team described as a “minor muscle injury in his right leg” in a statement on Sunday.

The 38-year-old Argentine legend suffered an upper right leg injury early in Miami’s penalty-kicks home win over Mexico’s Necaxa on Saturday in a Leagues Cup match.

Messi went out in the 11th minute but walked off the field and into the locker room.

Messi “underwent medical tests to evaluate the extent of the muscle discomfort he experienced” that forced him out of the match, Inter Miami said in its statement.

“The results confirmed a minor muscle injury in his right leg. His medical clearance will depend on his clinical progress and response to treatment.”

That means there is no timetable for a return by the Miami talisman, who shares the MLS season lead with 18 goals and also has nine assists in 18 matches.

Jordi Alba, who netted an equaliser for Miami in second half stoppage time to set up the penalty shootout the hosts won 5-4, said Messi’s early exit was “a huge sadness for the whole team.”

Inter Miami is 12-4 with six drawn for 42 points, fifth in the Eastern Conference and eight points adrift of league pace-setter Philadelphia but with three matches in hand.

Any extended absence also would be a major blow for Miami in the Leagues Cup, which Inter won in 2023 just after Messi arrived in South Florida.

Miami, which will host UNAM Pumas on Wednesday, ranks second on the MLS table to qualify for the Leagues Cup knockout stage with five points and would clinch a quarter-final berth with a victory.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2025