Inter Miami CF‘s friendly with Independiente del Valle in Puerto Rico has been postponed for two weeks after Lionel Messi sustained a muscle strain in his left hamstring during its last preseason game against Barcelona SC on Saturday.
Messi kicked off the match against Barcelona SC for Inter Miami on Feb. 7, before leaving the pitch in the 58th minute and watching the rest of the action from the sidelines.
Miami said in a statement Wednesday: “The Club, in collaboration with the event promoter and the government of Puerto Rico, believe shifting the match will allow for the best experience for fans in Puerto Rico. The match will remain at 7 p.m. ET (8 p.m. Local) at Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel in Bayamón, Puerto Rico and the opponent also remains Independiente del Valle.”
Earlier in the day, the club said: “Messi did not participate in training this Wednesday, February 11, due to a muscle strain in his left hamstring sustained during the match against Barcelona SC in Ecuador, which has persisted since then.
“The player underwent additional medical tests that confirmed the diagnosis. His gradual return to training will depend on his clinical and functional progress in the coming days.”
Messi also posted on social media Wednesday about the postponement of the match.
“Hi everyone, I wanted to send this message to the people of Puerto Rico and all the people that will be going to the training session and game,” said Messi in a video. “To be honest, during the last game in Ecuador I concluded with a muscle strain, which is why I left the field early. So, together with the people of the organization and Inter Miami it was decided to suspend this game. We hope it can be reprogrammed, and we can see each other. Visit you soon. Sending a hug to you all and thank you for all the love that you always give. I hope we can do it in the future, all the best.”
Inter Miami will continue to face Independiente del Valle in Bayamon, Puerto Rico but on Feb. 26, instead of the original date of Feb. 13.
The friendly will be held after the start of the 2026 MLS season, as Inter Miami travel to face LAFC to kick off the campaign.
In 2024, Messi was held out of a preseason friendly in Hong Kong because of an injury. After an angry response from locals due to Messi’s lack of participation, the organizer of the event offered a partial refund to fans.
Miami said in a statement at the time: “We recognize that the late decision caused frustration among our Hong Kong supporters and the event promoter, Tatler Asia. We do feel it necessary to express that injuries are unfortunately a part of the beautiful game, and our player’s health must always come first.”
