Lionel Messi was absent from Inter Miami’s training session ahead of their match against Philadelphia at Chase Stadium, sparking speculation.

Lionel Messi was absent from Inter Miami’s training session on Wednesday, leaving fans of the Florida club somewhat disappointed. Both the 37-year-old forward and the club were scheduled to return to action on Sunday against Philadelphia at Chase Stadium in MLS Round 31. However, his absence from the session led by coach Gerardo Martino has sparked speculation.

According to Argentine media, this absence has nothing to do with Messi’s right ankle ligament injury that prevented him from completing the 2024 Copa America final. Instead, La Pulga had a sore throat and had a bad night. He was treated with medication and the club allowed him to stay away from the training center. So fans will have to wait and see if Messi can play this weekend.

After the injury that made him cry, La Pulga had to go through a long period of rehabilitation, from warming up to immobilizing the area, patiently waiting for the swelling to go down, to going to the gym, exercising… Starting from August 28, Messi returned to work with his teammates and the club shared images of his evolution, arousing the anticipation of fans.

Although Messi’s idea was to return for the recently concluded South American 2026 World Cup qualifiers (Argentina beat Chile 3-0 and lost 2-1 to Colombia in Barranquilla), the recovery time did not match up to expectations. He followed each step strictly and when he was about to return, the incident happened. In any case, he has not yet received the medical clearance to officially return to play.

If the sore throat subsides, there is still a chance Messi could return this Sunday against Philadelphia. If so, it will be 61 days since his last appearance. The alternative is to wait until Thursday when Inter Miami face Atlanta United, or Sunday, September 21, when Tata Martino’s team visit New York FC.

A look back at the world champion’s injury history reveals that you have to go back 18 years to find longer career breaks. In 2006, Messi missed 74 days with a muscle problem and 87 days with a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot against Zaragoza. More recently, in 2019, he missed 42 days with Barcelona with a foot injury; 51 days in 2015 with a ruptured medial collateral ligament in his left knee.