Lionel Messi will be out of action for three weeks after the Barcelona talisman suffered a groin injury in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid, the Spanish champions said.
The five-time world player of the year limped off in the second half of Barca’s La Liga match at the Camp Nou, moments before the visiting side equalized.
“Leo Messi has torn the groin muscle in his right leg. He will be out of action for approximately three weeks,” Barcelona officials said in a statement.
Photo: Reuters
Barca’s all-time top scorer will miss league fixtures at Real Sporting de Gijon and RC Celta de Vigo as well as the Champions League group game with Borussia Moenchengladbach.
The Argentina captain is also likely to sit out his country’s World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Paraguay.
If Messi’s recovery goes well, he will return to action for Barca against RC Deportivo de La Coruna on Oct. 15.
“I am not a doctor and I cannot give any information here, but when Messi is injured we all lose, soccer loses,” Barca coach Luis Enrique said.
Messi was forced to miss eight weeks last season after injuring his knee, but Barca won eight of the 10 games they had to play without him, and Luis Enrique said he was not worried about how his side would fare again without the maestro.
“Last year we also had an unfortunate situation, but the team kept playing at a high level,” the coach said. “Without Messi we are much less strong, but we can still be strong, we hope he improves and we are going to continue as we need to continue, playing with confidence.”
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