On Sunday, Lionel Messi was given a day off as Inter Miami suffered a 3-2 defeat to CF Montreal Home Jersey.
Meanwhile, teammates Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets were left out of the starting lineup, but later came on as substitutes in the second half.
It was Miami’s first defeat of the season.
The 36-year-old Argentine star has played every minute of Miami’s three MLS games so far in 2024, as well as the Concacaf Champions League match against Nashville SC last Thursday, and assistant coach Javier Morales hinted on Saturday that Messi would be rested ahead of the return leg against Nashville.
“We all know Leo and he is a player who wants to play every game,” Morales said during a press conference on Saturday. “I think we will have a conversation with him, see how he feels and try to decide what is best for him because he has played 90 minutes every game and we will make the best decision for the future.”
Messi clothes scored and helped Miami draw 2-2 against Nashville, but was also hit by a hard tackle on his shin late in the game. Morales said it was just a “knock” and was not a factor in deciding whether he will play on Sunday, although Messi was later officially listed as doubtful with a shin problem on the MLS player status report.
Suarez, who scored Miami’s second goal against Nashville on Thursday, found himself in a similar situation to Messi, who has also started all four games this season. The 37-year-old was left out of the starting line-up but came on in the second half when Miami were 3-1 down.
“Luis is fine, he has played all the games and scored two goals in the last home game and one [last Thursday],” Morales said before the game. “The injury is fine and he’s ready to play.
“But what we’ve just talked about is that both Luis, Leo football shirt and all the players have played a lot of minutes, especially in this run of games, and we have to deal with it as best we can because it’s a long season and we’re just starting. We can’t do anything crazy. Just like with Leo, we’ll talk to Luis and see what’s best for the team.
Another former Barcelona player, Jordi Alba, featured against Montreal and scored a great goal in an unsuccessful comeback attempt for Miami.
On Wednesday, Miami will host Nashville in the return leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16.
