Lionel Messi has claimed he felt “much better” than he did a few days ago. Leaving open the possibility of playing in Inter Miami’s friendly in Tokyo after disappointing hordes of fans in Hong Kong by failing to show up on the pitch over the weekend.
For his Major League Soccer team and the local event organizers, the Argentine’s benching for the widely anticipated match in front of a sold-out crowd at Hong Kong Stadium has become a public relations nightmare.
According to the Evening Standard, for the first time since the team and co-owner David Beckham were jeered off the field, Messi addressed the media on Tuesday. the 36-year-old stated that it was “disappointing” that he couldn’t play because of swelling in his adductor muscle.
What Did Messi Say About His Injury Issue?
“In Hong Kong, we had an open-door training session and I went out because there was such a big crowd there and there was a clinic with the kids, and I wanted to be there and participate,” the 36-year-old told a press conference at a Tokyo hotel.
“But the truth is that the discomfort was still there and it was very difficult for me to play.
“I can understand that people were looking forward to it and I hope that there will be another opportunity for me to play in Hong Kong.
The Inter Miami captain, who skippered Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup, remained unclear when asked if he would play in Wednesday’s friendly matchup with J-League winners Vissel Kobe.
“For tomorrow, I don’t know, we’ll need to see how it goes in training today,” he added. “We still don’t know if I would be able to or not, but I feel much better than I did a few days ago and really want to be able to play.”
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