Messi returns to the active lineup of Inter Miami on Saturday. After taking a long hiatus of two months to recuperate, he is set to return to MLS. It was not mentioned if Messi would start or play as a substitute.
But right before the practice session on Friday, the coach for the Inter Miami Gerardo “Tata” Martino did say – “Messi is available”.
Over the course of the current season Messi has missed 9 subsequent matches and a total of 15 matches from Inter Miami. In the past 12 MLS games Messi was able to score 12 goals as well as 13 assists which is quite impressive even with his time off. As for the team even with the absence of Messi the team has managed to be on top of the standing, securing their playoffs.
On July 14 while playing for his national team, Argentina in the final of Copa America, Messi injured his right ankle by landing on it. The incident caused Messi to suffer a ligament injury on his right ankle. Consequently he had been recovering ever since.
Messi returned to train with his team by the end of last month. Fortunately he received blessing in disguise from World Cup qualifying matches which led to the team not playing for the past two weeks, earning Messi some extra time to recover and get back on the field.