In the Major League Soccer match between Inter Miami and Montreal, Lionel Messi was not even on the bench. Can you please explain the cause for his absence?After sustaining a kick against Nashville in the first leg of the Concachampions round of 16, where the pink shirt club needs to win in the replay next Thursday, Lionel Messi is not included in Inter Miami’s lineup to face Montreal in Major League Soccer.

As a precautionary measure, coach Gerardo Martino only put Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets on the bench after both of them experienced some physical issues. Messi was also one of the players who was placed on the bench. 

Messi came to the stadium but did not play with Inter Miami

In fact, during Saturday’s training session, Messi did not join his teammates and fans even clearly saw him with a bandage on his left leg after being tackled harshly by Lukas MacNaughton.

Apparently Martino did not want to risk Messi’s pain as he prioritized the 37-year-old striker to reach the best conditions to play the return match against Nashville on March 14.

 

Messi started the full regular season with Inter Miami, playing 4 complete matches: 3 in MLS (wins against Real Salt Lake and Orlando City, draw with Los Angeles Galaxy) and a 2-2 draw with Nashville in Concachampions. In those matches, he scored 4 goals and of course played an important role.

Messi was in discomfort as a result of a hard kick delivered by his rival. 
Not only is coach Martino concerned about injuries, but he also wants some of the most important players to recover from their problems. Not only is Messi the only player who will not be starting versus Montreal, but he is also the only one of the five players who will be changing positions who will not be on the bench. Other players who started versus Nashville, including Nicolas Freire, Sergio Busquets, Diego Gomez, and Luis Suarez, have been replaced by David Ruiz, Jordi Alba, Lawson Sunderland, Robert Taylor, and Leonardo Campana. Other players who started include Luis Suarez.