Lionel Messi begins on-field workouts, could rejoin Inter Miami before MLS playoffs

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, top right, sits with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo, second from left, during the second half of a Leagues Cup soccer match against Puebla, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Messi did not play due to an ankle injury. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Fort Lauderdale, Fla, August 24 - Lionel Messi began individual on-field training this week and could be ready to join Inter Miami on the field before the end of the MLS regular season, Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said Friday.

The 37-year-old Messi has been out with a right ankle injury since Argentina’s July 14 Copa America final win over Colombia, when he went down in the second half and tearfully exited the field.

Messi will not play when Inter Miami hosts FC Cincinnati on Saturday and was omitted from Argentina’s national team roster for its two September World Cup qualifiers. He has not played for Inter Miami since July 1, but Martino said he could join the team in full training soon.

“He is not training with the group. But he is already out on the field and working with the physical trainers,” Martino said, “and he is evolving well. It was foreseeable that he would not be with Argentina because he is not yet in a position to play.”

Martino added that there is no estimated date for Messi’s return, but it could come before the MLS playoffs, which begin in late October.

Miami, which is first in the Eastern Conference, can clinch a playoff spot with a win Saturday.