‘Risky’ - Lionel Messi injury update issued by Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni after Inter Miami star features as substitute against Paraguay following injury problems

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has been nursing an injury since the last international break, with that problem restricting him to just 72 minutes of game time for Inter Miami in MLS. He was, however, called upon by his country for the latest round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Messi started a 1-0 win over Paraguay on the bench, but was introduced early in the second half and helped to see out a hard-fought victory – while also being caught up in an unfortunate incident that saw him spat at by Paraguay striker Antonio Sanabria.

Argentina must now decide whether Messi will be involved against Peru next Tuesday, or give him an extended break. Scaloni has told TyC Sports: “We will talk in the next few days. He has two more training sessions to continue collecting minutes and we will see. It is not discounted that he plays, it is not discounted that he does not play - because I haven't talked about that yet - but today I think it was risky that he could get more minutes than usual. We talked about it and we agreed on that and I think it was prudent because we run the risk of having a problem - especially because of the level that the team can show with guys who can contribute other things. We will talk in these days and we will decide.”

Messi is likely to play some part against Peru, providing he has suffered no fitness setbacks, as he may not have many more minutes to take in at club level this season – with Inter Miami missing out on the MLS play-offs. He will have more international action to come in November, but that will be his last competitive game time until the 2024 campaign gets underway in the United States.