Lionel Messi injured, skips training session due to hamstring pain

In the early stages of the match against Croatia, Messi was seen clutching his hamstring. He was, however, able to play the entire game, scoring the game’s first goal with a penalty and setting up another as his team won 3-0. Prior to this weekend’s high-profile match with the defending champions France, Messi’s condition has worsened by continuing to play while suffering from a hamstring ailment, media reports claim.

However, Messi is injury-free, as per Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who is optimistic his captain will be available for the FIFA World Cup 2022 final. It was a challenging game for Messi to play 120 minutes against the Netherlands, Martinez said, but Messi wants to complete every match. As per Martinez, Messi is really strong physically, and he always wins the game.

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Following the Croatia encounter, Messi received his fourth Man of the Match award of the competition, despite his belief that 22-year-old Julian Alvarez would have been a more deserving recipient. The Manchester City player scored twice in that match. Messi is now the world cup’s joint-highest scorer on five goals alongside France’s Kylian Mbappe.

La Albiceleste’s chances of making it to the championship game appeared slim after they were surprised by Saudi Arabia in their first group encounter and were tied 0-0 with Mexico at the half of their subsequent match. However, Messi scored a stunner at the 64th minute, and Argentina never looked back again.

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Messi has been instrumental in taking his team to the final. He either scored goals or assisted one of his teammates to score. Out of 12 goals that Argentina scored at Qatar 2022, Messi either scored or assisted eight. That is exactly why Argentina fans have every reason to be worried about “Magical” Messi’s injury.