Lionel Messi Injury: Progress, Potential Return Date for Inter Miami Superstar

The legendary Argentine suffered an injury in Inter Miami’s latest preseason friendly.

Lionel Messi is once again battling muscular problems. | Elsa/Getty Images

Lionel Messi scored his first goal of 2026 at the weekend in a preseason friendly, but the joy was short-lived as he also suffered his first fitness issue of the year with the start of the 2026 Major League Soccer season just around the corner.

Inter Miami settled for a 2–2 draw against Ecuador’s Barcelona SC, with Messi scoring the first and assisting the second. But alarms were raised when the Argentine exited the pitch just 12 minutes into the second half and Miami eventually conceded the equalizer in the dying minutes.

Preparations for the start for the MLS season continue for Miami in the following days as Javier Mascherano’s side will aim to defend their maiden league title.

But those preparations took a significant hit midweek, when the Herons confirmed their legendary talisman sustained an injury during Saturday’s friendly, threatening his availability for upcoming games.

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What Injury Does Lionel Messi Have?

🩺 Injury Update presented by @BaptistHealthSF for Leo Messi.

🔗 https://t.co/rXn1xgSI0K pic.twitter.com/cPMNZds9XU

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 11, 2026

There wasn’t a specific moment during the friendly in Ecuador where you could tell Messi sustained an injury. However, Miami released a statement on Wednesday revealing the 38-year-old suffered a “muscle strain in his left hamstring.”

A similar hamstring injury compromised Messi last summer, forcing him to miss four games for the Herons between the Leagues Cup and MLS.

Miami didn’t offer a concrete timeline for Messi’s return to the pitch, simply stating: “His gradual return to training will depend on his clinical and functional progress in the coming days.”

Outside reports suggest that Messi’s injury isn’t too severe, but he still faces a race against the clock to be ready for the start of the season.

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When Will Lionel Messi Return From Injury?

Lionel Messi is targeting a third consecutive MLS MVP award. | Rich Storry/Getty Images

Messi’s return to action is still up in the air. If he manages to overcome the fresh hamstring issue relatively quickly, then he could be on the pitch for Miami’s MLS season opener away against LAFC on Feb. 21.

The Herons were scheduled to play a friendly match in Puerto Rico on Friday, Feb. 13 to wrap up their preseason tour. However, due to Messi’s injury, the game was postponed two weeks and is now scheduled for Feb. 26.

With Messi himself apologizing to Puerto Rican fans for the scheduling inconvenience, it would appear he’ll be ready in time to feature at the new date. Still, with only days separating Miami from their bout against LAFC, the team’s focus will be to have Messi ready prior to the clash.

If Messi misses the game against LAFC and reappears in the friendly vs. Independiente del Valle in Puerto Rico, then he could potentially make his official 2026 debut when Miami visit Orlando City in the first Florida derby of the season on March 1.

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