4 days ago
Inter Miami will not feature Lionel Messi in Saturdayās away match against Charlotte FC.
Manager Javier Mascherano has decided to rest the eight-time Ballon dāOr winner along with Rodrigo De Paul, according to reports from Claro Sports reporter JosĆ© Armando on X. Neither player traveled with the team to North Carolina and will not be on the bench.
Mascheranoās precautionary decision will disappoint the large crowd at the 75,000-seat Bank of America Stadium, not only because fans will miss seeing the international superstar, but also because Messi is just one goal away from reaching 900 career goalsāa historic milestone previously achieved only by Messiās former La Liga rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently has 965 career goals.
Messi and De Paul are resting ahead of the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 against Nashville SC, following a scoreless draw on Wednesday.
