Barcelona Announce Lionel Messi Will Miss Preseason Tour And Possibly Start Of Season Due To Injury

Lionel Messi  announced that he would miss the beginning of FC Barcelona’s preseason training due to injury.

Barca released a statement, saying, “Messi withdrew from the session due to discomfort in his right leg. Tests carried out have diagnosed a grade one calf strain for the Argentine. Messi will remain in Barcelona and will now not travel to the USA for the club’s tour. His availability to come back to action will be dictated by his recovery from the injury,” the statement said, according to ESPN.

Messi is also currently serving a three-month suspension from his international team after his comments about the officiating that took place in this summer’s Copa America tournament, where the host nation Brazil won.

He addressed his disappointment on Instagram, saying, “I was looking forward to getting started but unfortunately I have had a setback in my first training session that’s going to rule me out for a short while. I wanted to be with the team and the fans that follow us in the U.S. This time it’s not to be but we will see each other soon.”

Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez will prove to be more than suitable replacements for the upcoming start of the season. Barcelona have one of the best depth charts in world soccer after their new signings this summer. Barcelona also signed Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid this summer, along with Ajax’s Frankie De Jong. Both will slot into the first team and play massive roles to help Barcelona achieve European success for Messi.

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After Barcelona’s humiliating loss to Liverpool in the semifinals of the Champions League, Messi received slack after promising a Champions League trophy to be brought back to the Camp Nou.

“It’s difficult to say anything after last season,” he said. “But I don’t regret anything, and I would say the same thing again. I back these players and the coaching staff we have. Together we’re going to fight to win everything,” Messi said, according to ESPN. “Last season ended with a bitter taste, but we have to give value to La Liga, the eighth we have won in 11 years. That’s important, and maybe we don’t give enough value to what we have done.”