Messi suffers groin injury in first Barca start

Published on: 24 September 2019

Lionel Messi received lengthy treatment on the sideline for a groin issue on Tuesday.

Lionel Messi was taken off with a groin problem as he made his first start of the season in Barcelona's game against Villarreal on Tuesday.

Messi, 32, injured his calf in preseason and only made his first appearance of the new campaign as a substitute against Borussia Dortmund last week. He also came off the bench during Saturday's surprise 2-0 loss at Granada.

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Coach Ernesto Valverde handed him his first start against Villarreal at Camp Nou and he responded by setting up Antoine Griezmann's early goal.

However, he went down after a challenge on the half-hour mark and needed lengthy treatment from the club's medical team. He managed to play on until half-time, when he was replaced by Ousmane Dembele.

Speaking after winning FIFA's The Best on Monday, Messi admitted he didn't feel at his fittest against Granada at the weekend.

"It had been two, nearly three months without playing and you could tell," he told reporters. "I felt tired and sluggish. I didn't have that spark. I was lacking a bit of rhythm.

"I'll get better the more games and minutes I play, but there's no rush. It hasn't been worth taking any risks because I was told [by the club doctors] there was a chance of a relapse."

Barca will be relieved that it's not a relapse of the calf injury but they will have to wait for further tests to determine the severity of the groin problem.

Source: espn.co.uk

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