Lionel Messi ready to make his return just in time for the playoffs

Fyears of football had to wait exactly two months to see Lionel MessiBack on the field. This occurs after having suffered a severe sprain of the right ankle in the Copa America 2024 Finalwhich Argentina won 1-0 against Colombia.

Due to his participation in the Copa America and his injury, he will be three months and 14 days since Lionel wore the pink of Inter Miami. His coach, Gerardo “Tata” Martino, spoke at a press conference today and confirmed that Messi will be available this SaturdaySeptember 14, against the Philadelphia Union.

“Yesterday he resumed training. He is scheduled for tomorrow's match and after training we will define the strategy for him, but he is available. We are going to have the best player in the world in the team again, so we are all happy with this situation,” Martino said.

There was Doubts over Messi's ability to be active against Philadelphia this week after it was reported that he was suffering from a sore throat.

“Yes [there was concern]because it all kind of combined with the ankle recovery and just this throat issue that he had, which kept him from training,” Martino said.

How did Inter Miami perform without Messi?

Messi's last matchwith Inter Miami It was June 1st against St. Louis SC in a 3-3 drawwhere number 10 scored the first goal. Since then, he has missed 13 games with Inter Miamiincluding MLS and League Cup lighting fixtures.

In the tournament where the teams of Liga MX and MLS face to face, Inter Miami feels Messi's absenceThey qualified second behind Tigers and were eliminated in the round of 16 by The Columbus crew.

Inter Miami did not suffer too much during the month and a half without its star, since it obtained 10 wins in 13 gamesThe only major drawback was a 6-1 loss to FC Cincinnati July 6th.

Inter Miami's Current Status as “La Pulga” Returns

Currently, Inter Miami leads the Eastern Conference and the Supporters' Shield with 59 points in 27 matches. With their last victory against Chicago Fire by a score of 4-1, where Leo's best friend, Luis Suarez, scored twice, Miami has secured its spot in the 2024 MLS playoffs. A goal they failed to achieve last season.

THE record for most points in a single season is held by New England Revolutionwith 73 points in 2021. This is a mark that seems achievable for Tata Martino's team.