Barcelona superstar Leo Messi won’t be making the journey with the Catalan club to the United States after suffering a calf injury in his first day of training with the team on Monday.
Messi returned to Barcelona from his summer vacations last weekend after participating in Copa America with the Argentina national team. He attended, but did not play, in Barça’s Saturday friendly against Arsenal.
The forward strained his right calf during his first day back on the field on Monday and did not take the evening flight with the team from Barcelona to Miami. Barcelona will have to pay financially for Messi’s injury, as the forward was contractually obligated to play in the US matches.
Barcelona will take on Napoli twice on American soil as part of the International Champions Cup. Their first game against the Italian side will be on Wednesday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, and then the two clubs will travel north to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a Saturday clash at Michigan Stadium.
Messi, however, will stay behind in Spain and attempt to rehab his calf strain. It’s still unknown whether or not La Liga’s three-time reigning top goal scorer will be ready for Barcelona’s first La Liga match on August 17 against Athletic Club.
