Messi injured and he’s supposed to play in Vancouver in just 10 days

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Uh oh. That’s what thousands of Messi ticket-holding soccer fans in Vancouver are probably saying today.

With just 10 days to go before Lionel Messi is scheduled to play a highly anticipated match against the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place, the global superstar was missing in action due to injury.

The 36-year-old Argentinian World Cup champ did not play Inter Miami’s road match in Orlando tonight, due to a knee injury.

The good news is it doesn’t sound serious.

Messi went down clutching his knee after being fouled during the 40th minute of a match Saturday in Montreal — his first-ever time playing in Canada. Despite the collision, Messi finished the match, playing a full 90 minutes.

“He suffered a hit to the knee on Saturday versus Montreal, he continued playing through the end of the game and then iced it when finished,” said Inter Miami assistant coach Javier Morales, per ESPN. “He trained with the players [on Tuesday] who did regenerative work, with the bicycle and a bit of jogging on the field.”

Today’s match was the second of three games in eight days for Miami, so it was always a natural spot to give Messi a rest.

The injury isn’t expected to keep Messi out long, with Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino saying he plans to play him in their next match Saturday. That’s Miami’s last game before the Vancouver match seven days later, on Saturday, May 25.

“The plan is for him to play, but we will take it day by day,” Martino said, per Franco Panizo of Miami Total Futbol. “We will see how he feels on Thursday and Friday.”

Keep your fingers crossed until then.

Few tickets remain for the Messi match in Vancouver, which will likely be a rare BC Place sell out. Fans have paid hundreds of dollars for tickets — well above the cost of a usual Whitecaps match.

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