MIAMI: Lionel Messi came off the pitch in the 73rd minute of his last club match before the World Cup on Sunday but Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos said he thought the Argentine was just fatigued after playing on a heavy pitch.

The eight-times Ballon d’Or winner was substituted after clutching the back of his thigh in the wake of one of his trademark free kicks during Inter’s 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Union in Miami.

“We don’t have a medical report on that yet, but we will have one shortly,” Hoyos told reporters when asked why the talismanic forward was taken off.

“He was genuinely suffering from fatigue in that regard; it is indeed fatigue. He was tired, the pitch was heavy and when in doubt, the standard approach is always to ensure you don’t take any risks.”

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni announced a 55-man squad, including Messi, on May 11. He will need to reduce it to 26 before June 1 deadline.

Messi was highly influential as Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar four years ago.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2026