FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi pauses during the Spanish La Liga soccer match against Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) (Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Lionel Messi will be out for at least three weeks after suffering a groin strain during Barcelona’s draw against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
The Argentinian striker left the game in the 59th minute after a tackle collision with defender Diego Godin. He tried to keep playing, but dropped to the ground after struggling.
Barcelona confirmed the injury on his right leg. He is expected be sidelined during the upcoming trips to Sporting Gijon and Celta Vigo for La Liga matches and to Borussia Monchengladbach for the Champions League.
It’s also anticipated that he will miss Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Paraguay on Oct. 6 and 11, respectively.
Messi’s injury comes just weeks after he was sidelined with a groin injury – although the first was on his left leg. He missed Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Venezuela earlier this month, but has played in all five La Liga games this season.
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique told reporters that not only will the team “lose” without its star player but the sport in general will lose as well.
“Without Leo we all lose. Football loses. We have to find solutions, knowing that with Messi we're very strong. We know that we have to win,” he said during his post-match news conference, according to ESPNFC.
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