Lionel Messi set off alarm bells in the Argentine camp after skipping training on Thursday because of a mild cold, two days ahead of the World Cup quarter-final against Germany.
Spokesman Andres Ventura said Messi came out for practice at the University of Pretoria, but coach Diego Maradona decided to send him back to his room to rest.
“Messi has cold-like symptoms, nothing serious,” team doctor Donato Villani said. “Tomorrow [Friday] he’ll be training at full speed.”
Messi, FIFA’s reigning player of the year, has not scored a goal in South Africa, but has been involved in setting up six of Argentina’s 11 goals. Defenses have consistently crowded around Messi, leaving space for forwards Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez.
Substitute Javier Pastore took Messi’s place in practice on Thursday, playing with 10 others who are likely to start in today’s quarter-final in Cape Town against Germany. The other 10 were Sergio Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Martin Demichelis, Nicolas Burdisso, Gabriel Heinze, Maxi Rodriguez, Javier Mascherano, Angel di Maria, Tevez and Higuain.
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