“We all know how much Messi cares about this club, about the national team, and how much he wants to play. Time is passing, and he is getting closer to the day he returns to the field. That’s where we all want to see him,” Suarez said after the training session on July 30, with the Inter Miami players preparing for the match against Tigres UANL at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas (USA) on August 4.

Suarez, Busquets and Jordi Alba have trained in good condition, while centre-back Sergii Kryvtsov has also returned from injury. They are all fit to play in the starting line-up. Only Messi has not trained properly, having missed the first part of the training session on July 30 to continue treatment for a right ankle injury sustained in the Copa America final (mid-July).

“Messi is still wearing a leg protector. But the day of his return to competition is not far away. Inter Miami is cautious, because they want the 37-year-old to fully recover. And they are in no hurry, as they are sure of the possibility of continuing to the knockout round of the Leagues Cup, as well as maintaining the top position in the MLS. Last week, Inter Miami also let Messi have a short vacation to speed up the injury recovery process,” said AS

(Spain).

“However, the possibility of Messi playing in the upcoming match is impossible. Coach Tata Martino will let this famous player stay in Miami City, during the away match against Tigres UANL in Houston, to help him have more time to recover from his injury. Messi is expected to play around mid-August, when Inter Miami participates in the knockout round of the Leagues Cup. This is an important time for this team aiming to defend the championship,” AS shared .

According to the MLS (US) account on social network X (formerly Twitter), thanks to Messi’s effect, this year’s Leagues Cup has increased the number of spectators by 24% compared to the same period last year, right in the first week of the opening matches of the group stage.

Specifically, after the first round of the 2024 Leagues Cup group stage, a total of 321,226 spectators attended (an average of 21,415 spectators/match), compared to 259,047 spectators in 2023 (an average of 17,269 spectators/match). Of which, the match with the highest number of spectators was the match where San Jose Earthquakes beat Guadalajara of Mexico with a score of 4-3 after a penalty shootout (a 1-1 draw in regular time) on July 28, with 50,765 spectators attending.

Therefore, if Messi returns to compete from the knockout round of the Leagues Cup, it will certainly help this tournament increase its viewership and set a new audience record compared to 2023.