Messi missed the first part of training on September 12, but Gaston Edul, a journalist from TyC Sports (Argentina), confirmed that the 37-year-old star has fully recovered from his injury and will play for Inter Miami in one of the next two matches.
“Messi trained separately because he had a mild cold. The recovery process from his ankle injury has not been hindered at all. Messi will play in one of Inter Miami’s next two matches (against Philadelphia Union at 6:30 a.m. on September 15 or Atlanta United at the same time on September 19),” Gaston Edul shared based on information from the Argentina national team.
From left to right: Messi, Jordi Alba, Suarez, and Busquets chatting after a light training session on September 12.
Suarez has returned to Inter Miami after officially parting ways with the Uruguay national team.
Coach Scaloni has been in contact with Messi to ensure his ability to play and will include him in the squad list for Argentina’s World Cup 2026 qualifiers in mid-October, also according to Gaston Edul.
According to the Spanish newspaper *AS*, Messi has been training almost normally with the Inter Miami team last week. After the international break, the star returned but only had a light session on his first day back due to a cold. Messi, along with Suarez and Diego Gomez, who also returned from national team duties, missed the first part of training. Similarly, Matias Rojas, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba were also absent.
Inter Miami is aiming to win the Eastern Conference in the MLS and the Supporters’ Shield (for the team with the best regular-season record in the entire MLS, which has a total of 29 clubs). Additionally, they are targeting the MLS Cup title, which begins in late October. Inter Miami has already secured a playoff spot and will play from the first round.
These are three major championships Messi is looking to add to his collection, which already includes 45 titles, following his most recent victory in the 2024 Copa America in mid-July. Messi currently holds the record for the most titles in football history, surpassing Dani Alves’ record of 44 titles.
Messi has been training almost normally with the full Inter Miami squad last week.
Inter Miami currently leads the Eastern Conference standings in MLS with 59 points, 8 points ahead of second-placed FC Cincinnati after both teams have played 27 matches. In the Supporters’ Shield standings, Inter Miami is also 7 points ahead of LA Galaxy (who have played 28 matches).
As a result, by the time the MLS regular season concludes on October 20, after seven more rounds, Messi may add two more titles to his name before preparing for the MLS Cup playoffs, which start in late October.
So far, in the 2024 season, Messi has played 12 matches for Inter Miami, scoring 12 goals and providing 9 assists. He has been absent since early June due to his participation in the Copa America and an injury sustained in the final.