Lionel Messi is the best player in the world in many eyes and now the Barcelona star will be out for up to eight weeks after dealing with a torn muscle and that means he will miss some big matches on the schedule, including in the Champions League, but with the winter break coming, the injury may not be as bad for the club.
According to ESPNFC, Messi will be out for up to two months after dealing with the injury against Real Betis in a 4-1 win in the Primera Division and now the club will be without his services for quite some time. The 26-year-old injured his leg while sprinting for a ball and went down in the 18th minute and soon after that he was replaced and the team announced the injury on Monday and now they will be without Messi for quite some time.
The first match for Barcelona in 2014 is against Elche and he may miss that, but there is a chance he could be back for it, while he is expected to miss a friendly for his nation against Ecuador and he also is likely to be out for matches against Ajax Amsterdam and Celtic in the champions League, but with Barca already clinching the next round of 16, it shouldn't be too much to miss as long as he returns soon after.
"The club's medical services confirmed after tests this Monday morning that Leo Messi has a torn hamstring muscle in his left thigh and is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks," the statement read. "The first phase of Messi's recovery will be covered in Barcelona and he will then travel to Buenos Aires."
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi will be out for between six and eight weeks with a hamstring injury, the La Liga leaders said on Monday.
The Argentine suffered a muscle tear in his left hamstring during Barca's 4-1 La Liga win at Real Betis on Sunday.
The World Player of the Year was substituted during the first half after pulling up following a sprint for possession. It was his 16th game of the season in which he has scored 14 goals.
It was also the third thigh injury of the season for a player renowned under former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola for his ability to avoid injury, despite being the focal point of Barcelona's famed tiki-taka, one-touch football.
Barcelona said on their website the first stage of Messi's recovery would be in the Catalan city before he travelled to Buenos Aires.
The 26-year-old will miss the final two matches in the Champions League group stage for Barcelona, against Ajax Amsterdam and Celtic. Barca have already qualified for the last 16 which takes place in late February.
Barcelona lead La Liga by three points from Atletico Madrid and six from arch-rivals Real Madrid. Barca are due to play Atletico in Madrid on January 12 but have games against lesser opponents before then.
Messi will also miss Argentina's friendlies against Ecuador, on November 15, and Bosnia, on November 18.
(Reuters Quotes)
