Messi's latest update on his injury after 8 minutes: expected to be out for 3-4 weeks, having already missed 140 days since joining Miami.

On the morning of August 3rd, Beijing time, in the second round of the Group B matches of the League Cup, Inter Miami faced Naga Shahar at home. Messi was substituted after just 8 minutes into the match due to injury, replaced by Little Redondo. According to reports, Messi is expected to be sidelined for at least 3-4 weeks.

It must be said that injuries are the biggest enemy of the king of football. At 38, Messi has been in great form recently, but he also needs to be managed carefully, as he is an aging veteran. Since leaving the top five European leagues to join Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, he has faced multiple injury challenges.

According to statistics, from September 2023 to March 2025, Messi has missed at least 9 matches due to physical issues, accumulating a total of 32 missed match days. In total, Messi's time sidelined during his career at Inter Miami has exceeded 140 days. The frequency of injuries during Messi's time at Inter Miami suggests that he is indeed an aging veteran, struggling to cope with the intense schedule of modern football, which includes league matches, cup competitions, and national team call-ups. The types of injuries are primarily muscle-related, such as adductor strains, muscle injuries, and ligament damage.

How can we better protect Messi? By reducing the number of matches and his workload, allowing him to focus his energy on important games. However, Inter Miami's defense is quite weak, and without Messi's attacking pressure, the team will struggle. With De Paul joining, Messi no longer needs to frequently drop back to retrieve the ball, allowing De Paul to take on the organizing responsibilities, which helps relieve pressure on Messi and allows him to concentrate on creating and finishing plays up front.

Finally, I wish Messi a speedy recovery! Why do I like Messi? Simply because I want to watch beautiful football, that's all.