Last Wednesday, Argentina defeated arch-rival Chile 1-0, thereby officially securing an early ticket to the quarter-finals of Copa America 2024. However, they had to pay a big price when captain Lionel Messi suffered a muscle injury.

Lionel Messi is currently injured.

Lionel Messi played the full 90 minutes against Chile, but had to be repeatedly massaged by the doctors. The 37-year-old striker also barely accelerated in the final stages of the match.

Initially, Argentine media said that Messi only had a muscle strain and did not need to rest. The Inter Miami star will be rested by coach Scaloni for tomorrow’s final group stage match against Peru to recover his fitness.

However, Messi’s problem is more complicated than initially predicted and the striker is likely to miss the upcoming Copa America 2024 quarter-finals. Famous Argentine journalist Paradizo said: “Every day that passes, what we know about Messi’s injury is more negative. I can tell everyone straight away that Messi could miss the quarter-finals.”

“At the moment, Messi’s ability to play is still uncertain. However, many believe that if Messi tries to play in the quarter-finals, the injury will become more serious. The best option is to let him rest for the semi-finals.”

“In the dressing room, Messi was quite sad and disappointed because of his problem. He has been released from the camp and is resting at home. He will return to the team tomorrow.”

The quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa America will begin on July 4, while the semi-finals will take place five days later. Messi will have to race against time to recover in time for these matches.