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Inter Miami striker Leonardo Campana has revealed how Lionel Messi stayed in contact with his teammates during the international break.
Messi headed off for international duty with Argentina last week, meaning the Herons had to do without the iconic forward against Sporting KC. Gerardo Martino's men secured a 3-2 win over Sporting KC, showing that they could perform in his absence.
However, Campana admits that Messi was missed in training because of the excitement his attendance brings, telling Marca:
"His absence was felt in training. You wake up and are excited to come and train with the best in the world. But we also have Jordi (Alba) and Busi (Sergio Busquets)."
Campana scored a double in the win against Sporting, which maintained Inter Miami's unbeaten record since Messi arrived at DRV PNK Stadium. He also revealed that the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner congratulated the team on their win:
"Yes, he wrote to us in the group. He congratulated us. You realise the kind of person he is, how humble he is. No matter how great he is, he is looking out for us, the first to send messages, wishing us good luck and that motivates you."
Lionel Messi has made a blistering start to life at DRV PNK Stadium. He has bagged 11 goals and five assists in 11 games across competitions. Ten of those goals came in the Leagues Cup, a tournament the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner captained Vice City to glory. He also finished as the competition's top goalscorer.
The Argentine hero's arrival at Inter Miami has not only lifted the mood at the club but also improved their results. He has quickly built a strong rapport with his new teammates.
Inter Miami set to be without Lionel Messi for Atlanta United clash
Inter Miami are back in action against Atalanta United in the MLS on Saturday (September 16), but Lionel Messi likely won't be available. The legendary forward has just returned from the international break with Argentina, where he scored in the 1-0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying win against Ecuador last week.
Messi has uploaded a post to his Instagram story of himself opening a pizza box at a restaurant in Miami. He captioned the video, per Express:
"Gracias (Thanks)."
Inter Miami boss Martino gave an update on Messi's potential availability for the Atlanta game. He acknowledged the need to manage his minutes while playing for both club and country:
"We will be careful with him because we have a lot of important games in a short span. This is something that we knew would happen at some point, but that he would begin to get used to our needs, especially for seasons like this with a lot of matches.
"Playing each match, 90 minutes each game, two to three days with travel in between would get difficult."
Lionel Messi could return to action with the Herons on Wednesday (September 20) at home to Toronto. Vice City will be eager for the Argentine icon's incredible start to life in the MLS to continue.
