Messi suffers injury weeks before his final World Cup
LIONEL MESSI has suffered an injury scare just two weeks before the World Cup kicks off.
Paris Saint-Germain confirmed the Argentine missed trip to Lorient with an inflamed Achilles tendon.
However, the club insist it is only a minor problem. And they expect him to return to full training next week.
PSG host Auxerre next weekend, their final match before the break for the World Cup.
Argentina captain Messi is desperate to lead his country to glory on December 18 - and will be hoping he can shake off the issue in time for their opening match against Saudi Arabia on November 22. Messi has already confirmed Qatar 2022 will be his last World Cup.
His country lost the 2014 final to Germany, the closest he has come to lifting the only major trophy that eludes him in his stellar career.
But the new fitness concern is the latest injury he has had to battle off this season.
Just weeks ago, Messi missed two games due to a calf strain and then was spotted limping against Maccabi Haifa- leaving fans terrified.
The forward, who has 12 goals and 14 assists for PSG in all competitions this season, did play the full 90 minutes of PSG’s final Champions League group game away at Juventus on Wednesday.
But after seeing pals Paulo Dybala and Angel Di Maria suffering injuries just before the tournament, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is understandably cautious.
He said last month: “Injuries are a worry.
“This is a different World Cup which is played at a different time of the year to previous tournaments and it’s so imminent any little thing that happens to you can force you out.
“With what happened to Dybala and Di Maria, the truth is that personally you worry and you’re more afraid when you see those sort of things.
“It’s something you think about but I feel going out to play with that in your head can be contradictory as well.
“The best thing you can do is perform as normal and play your game as you always do.
“I hope Di Maria and Dybala recover in time. They have enough time to do so and reach the tournament in good shape.”