Will Lionel Messi be fit for Copa America quarter-final? Injury update on Inter Miami superstar as Argentina prepare to face Ecuador at NRG Stadium in Houston

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner played no part in a final group stage outing against Peru as he nurses a thigh complaint. With maximum points already on the board, and there plenty of depth in Lionel Scaloni’s squad, no risks were taken on the Inter Miami superstar.

The Albiceleste are now preparing for a last-eight showdown at NRG Stadium in Houston, with questions still being asked of whether their talismanic captain will be available in Texas. Messi is being given every opportunity to put himself in contention.

Scaloni has said when asked for an update on Messi’s fitness: “We’re going to wait a bit more. We have another training session and more time to evaluate is best. We feel good about it though. We’ll make a decision based on what we see. I haven’t spoken to Leo about his situation yet. I’ll do that with him. It’s only fair for him to take his time and train as much as he can. We’ll make that decision then. I haven’t spoken to Leo about his status so I can’t make a decision.”

Scaloni added when asked if Messi’s presence will impact Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez, who have been paired together: “Leo has played with both Julian and Lautaro. Nothing changes. Things change when Leo doesn’t play. That’s the reality. Everyone knows that. We’ll do our best for him to play. If he can’t, we’ll find the best solutions for the team. We have to go game by game. The team will adjust based on the opponent.”

Messi has already sat out six games for Inter Miami this season due to muscle problems, with those knocks also preventing him from figuring in two friendly dates for Argentina in March. The 37-year-old is yet to find the target at the 2024 Copa America, but has 108 international goals to his name through 184 appearances.