Overview

• Lionel Messi signaled for a substitution in the fifth minute of Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match against Necaxa after feeling a sharp pinch in his right hamstring.
• He walked off to the bench, handed his captain’s armband to Sergio Busquets and was replaced by Federico Redondo.
• The severity of the suspected hamstring strain remains unknown as medical tests are expected in the coming hours.
• This setback adds to Messi’s history of recurring hamstring troubles linked to an old scar and exacerbated by Chase Stadium’s sand-laden pitch and tropical weather.
• Messi’s fitness will shape Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup ambitions and could determine his availability for Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador.