Lionel Messi will miss a Major League Soccer match for the first time since joining Inter Miami as he will not feature against Atlanta United on Saturday.
A club source told CNN the decision was made to rest the Argentinian World Cup winner due to the number of games he has played since signing for the club in July. The turf field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta did not play a role, the source said. The 36-year-old’s arrival to the MLS sparked a debate in US soccer about the potential physical impact of playing on an artificial surface and there had been speculation in the build up to the match over whether he would play on a turf field.
” When he moved to Europe to play for Barcelona he would play on grass, but Messi added: “Truth is it’s been a while since I’ve played on artificial turf, but I have no problem adapting myself again.” The seven-time Ballon d’Or award-winner, who did not play in Argentina’s World Cup qualifying win over Bolivia on Tuesday, did not travel with the club for Saturday’s match. On Friday, Messi posted a picture on his Instagram stories account of a pizza order in Miami.
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