Lionel Messi back on Inter Miami training pitch in continued recovery from ankle injury

Lionel Messi appears to be one step closer to a return to the pitch. After spraining his ankle in the Copa America final, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner took another step in his recovery, pictured training next to his teammates, according to a social media post by ESPN reporter Lizzy Becherano.

Messi was out of team training for five weeks after injuring his ankle in the second half of the Copa America final. Inter Miami manager Tata Martino was optimistic about his potential return, though, and promised that his star man would be back among the squad before the end of the regular season. The Herons won their first MLS game without him, beating Cincinnati 2-0.

Messi is expected to be back in the fold before the MLS playoffs. The postseason starts with Wild Card fixtures on Oct. 23, with the best-of-three round one series set for Oct. 26.