Will Lionel Messi play in Japan for Inter Miami after Hong Kong no-show sparked calls for refunds?
- Will-he-won’t-he countdown begins on eve of match with Japanese champions Vissel Kobe in Tokyo
- Messi speaks about the injury cited for his non-involvement in Hong Kong, and is moving with ease as he takes part in training
Lionel Messi offered hints that he may play in Inter Miami’s friendly in Tokyo on Wednesday as he spoke for the first time in a troubled few days, then trained alongside teammates without evident discomfort.
The Argentinian had left Hong Kong under a cloud after his unannounced non-involvement because of injury overshadowed Miami’s game against a local select on Sunday, unleashing a fierce backlash in the city.
What if any part Messi will play in the next stop on Miami’s tightly scheduled tour has taken on heightened interest ahead of a meeting with Japanese champions Vissel Kobe at the Japan National Stadium.
Should he play, it will avoid a repeat of the angry scenes seen in Hong Kong, yet the resentment he left behind could be fuelled further by the sight of the world’s greatest player performing three days after his no-show.
Facing the media on Tuesday, Messi said his leg injury was “getting better”, but he was not certain he would be fit to play.
“For tomorrow, I don’t know, we’ll need to see how it goes in training today,” he said. “We still don’t know if I would be able to or not, but I feel much better than I did a few days ago and really want to be able to play.”
Messi appeared at the press conference alone after appearances by club co-owner David Beckham, coach Gerardo Martino and teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez were cancelled at the last minute.
Messi’s Hong Kong no-show: what contract said, when government knew, any refund?
Prior to not playing in Hong Kong, 36-year-old Messi had managed to play the closing minutes of Miami’s previous match, against Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia last Thursday.
He said he had felt discomfort with his adductor, or thigh muscle, after that match.
“I had an MRI and it came out that I had an oedema in the adductor,” he said, referring to swelling caused by fluid trapped in the body.
Later on Tuesday, Messi joined team training in suburban Tokyo and looked fit, running drills and moving with ease at a practice facility run by the Japan Football Association.
Tarnished though it was, Miami’s 4-1 win in Hong Kong was their first in five preseason matches. They drew 0-0 in El Salvador, lost to fellow MLS side FC Dallas and then lost twice in Saudi Arabia.
Following the trip to Japan, they will return to the United States for their final preseason match at home to Argentine side Newell’s Old Boys, Messi’s childhood club, on February 15, before the new Major League Soccer season starts six days later.
Additional reporting by Reuters and Associated Press
