September 30th 2023.
Lionel Messi, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, was scratched from Inter Miami's lineup for their matchup against New York City FC on Saturday. This had significant implications for both teams, as Inter Miami entered the night five points behind NYCFC with two matches in hand. Messi has been struggling with a leg injury, the severity of which has not been revealed by the team.
This marked the fourth of Inter Miami's last five matches that Messi has missed, with the only game he didn't miss being a 37-minute appearance against Toronto on September 20th. He had to leave the match before halftime due to what is believed to be a hamstring issue.
The lack of transparency from the team about Messi's status has caused outrage from many fans on social media, who have responded to posts from the team with comments expressing their dissatisfaction. This comes shortly after Inter Miami sent out season-ticket renewal notices this week with big price increases for next season.
Fans are still hoping to get the chance to see Messi play, despite the team having only four MLS matches remaining. Although he has missed a lot of matches due to his injury, Messi has still managed to score 11 goals in 12 matches with Inter Miami, making the team 8-0-4 when he plays.
Inter Miami has benefited financially from Messi's presence even when he hasn't been on the field. MLS revealed that Messi's jersey is the top-seller in the league this season, with Busquets at No. 13 and Inter Miami's Josef Martinez at No. 21. The team has also enjoyed revenue streams from his 2 1/2-year contract, which pays him an average of more than $50 million annually, as well as their other two major midseason acquisitions this year - Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
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