Messi out of World Cup qualifying matches against Uruguay and Brazil

Argentina‍‍`s star footballer Lionel Messi will miss the upcoming South American World Cup qualifying matches against Uruguay and Brazil due to a suspected muscular injury. Coach Lionel Scaloni did not include the 37-year-old in the 25-man squad announced on Monday.

Messi reportedly suffered a sore left thigh during Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory over Atlanta United in Major League Soccer on Sunday. However, the Argentine Football Association has not officially disclosed the reason for his absence.

Argentina currently leads the qualifying standings with 25 points and is set to face second-place Uruguay on Friday, followed by a match against fifth-place Brazil at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires four days later.

Messi is not the only player missing from these crucial encounters. Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Montiel, and Giovani Lo Celso have also been ruled out. Additionally, Scaloni dropped Alejandro Garnacho and Claudio Echeverri from the final squad, despite initially including them in the larger selection announced on March 2.

Since the start of the season, Messi has been absent from several matches for Inter Miami due to concerns over potential injuries, according to his coach Javier Mascherano. This month, he did not play against Houston Dynamo, Cavalier SC, and Charlotte FC. However, he returned for the second leg of Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup round-of-16 tie against Cavalier SC on Thursday.

Mascherano had declared Messi fit to start against Atlanta United on Sunday, and the Argentine captain scored a goal in the 20th minute before reportedly sustaining the injury.