Inter Miami’s very own super star Lionel Messi had to be subbed out before the first half ended in their game against Toronto FC in MLS action on Wednesday night. Messi who was making his return to the pitch following a two-week rest period sounded the alarms when before the game reached halftime, he called for a substitution.
Now the larger issue at hand here is whether or not ‘La Pulga’ will be able to help his team on their quest for silverware next Wednesday as they face the Houston Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup Final?How fast can Lionel Messi recover from injury?
The player is the one who usually knows whether he is fit to play, even though his coach may prefer not to push in cases of doubt. A three-way decision will be made with the coach, player, and medical services.
Argentinian player Leo Messi will be a doubt until the last moment of the U.S. Open Cup Final match against Houston Dynamo following the muscle injury he suffered Wednesday night. Will he play? He will likely decide along with the coach and medical staff.
But should he play with such an injury? And if so how do these injuries even occur? Muscle injuries result from repeated effort, poor movements, fatigue… there are several factors that can predispose someone to a muscle injury.
Does the timing of the season matter?
Yes, for example, preseasons, where there is a high workload and intensity, are times that tend to be relatively “common” for muscle injuries. Another time is the final stretch of the season when there is an accumulation of hours of work. And other times are precisely these, when there are several U.S Open Cup or MLS or international matches, and the tension to win can lead to muscular overloads.
What is the recovery like?
Recovery depends on the type of muscle injury. The least serious can be a “simple” muscle strain. It hurts little and subsides in a couple of days. Generally, there is no major issue in returning to sports practice.
Another case is muscle tears. Here, rest time is necessary and mandatory. Muscle fibers break, and there is a risk that if the player pushes too hard, the tear will worsen, becoming a bigger problem. Another issue is that after two weeks, the player may not feel pain in certain movements. They become confident and think they are fine. However, it’s during a sprint, jump, or strong ball strike when the pain returns. They know perfectly well that it has torn againShould Messi risk it for U.S Open Cup glory?
Messi has had the exact same injury before under a similar scenario back when he was playing for PSG and still managed to play the full 90 minutes of the first leg defeat of his team against Bayern Munich in the 2022-2023 Champions League Round of 16 match. So it’s very plausible that Messi will in fact play the final next Wednesday 9/27 against Houston Dynamo. The player is the one who usually knows whether he is fit to play, even though his coach may prefer not to push in cases of doubt. A three-way decision will be made with the coach, player, and medical services.
