Madrid: Barcelona have confirmed that striker Leo Messi will miss the rest of the season as a result of the muscle injury which forced him out of his side's 2-1 win away over Atletico Madrid. The fact that Messi's injury is a relapse of the hamstring problem, which he originally suffered in the quarter-final of the Champions League April 2 and which has troubled him ever since, is a key factor in the decision made by the club Monday, reports Xinhua.
As a result, Messi will miss Barcelona's last games of the season, which are at home to Valladolid and Malaga and away to local rivals Espanyol. Messi was forced out of the game against Athletico in the second half, leaving Barca to struggle on with 10 men, which they did with great effect, overturning a 0-1 deficit thanks to a goal from Alexis Sanchez and an own goal with 10 minutes remaining.
The Catalans are already assured of the Primera Liga title as of this weekend and they currently hold a 10-point lead over second placed Real Madrid with a game in hand. Messi has been vital once again for Barca this season, playing 48 matches for his club (not counting internationals with Argentina) and scoring 58 goals in all competitions, with 46 of them coming in the league.
With the league won there is no need to rush Messi back to fitness and the player will now be able to recover slowly and hopefully return
01:16 PM, May 14, 2013
Madrid: Not even an injury to Lionel Messi in the 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid on Sunday could dampen Barcelona's celebrations at winning their 22nd Spanish league title. Messi started his first match in six rounds because of a recurring right hamstring injury, but he left the field in the 68th minute with Barcelona trailing 1-0 to Radamel Falcao's 52-minute goal and having made all three substitutions. However, Alexis Sanchez...
08:04 AM, May 13, 2013
London: Lionel Messi's life story is set to hit the movie screens in time for the 2014 World Cup. Epic Pictures Group says it is financing and developing a Rocky-style film after buying the rights to dramatize a biography about the Barcelona soccer star. The Beverly Hills-based company says the biopic will chart Messi's rise from a modest background in Argentina and how he "overcame his physical shortcomings to become...
06:48 PM, May 10, 2013
Barcelona: Lionel Messi netted two goals within 15 minutes of coming on as a substitute to give Barcelona a 4-2 comeback win over Real Betis on Sunday and push his team to the brink of the Spanish league title. After his teammates had rallied back twice to level at 2-2, Messi went on in the 56th and four minutes later curled in a free kick to extend his record scoring...
08:03 AM, May 06, 2013
Barcelona: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi trained normally on Saturday and midfielder Sergio Busquets was also back working with his team mates as the La Liga leaders prepare for Sunday's potentially title-clinching game at home to Real Betis. World Player of the Year Messi damaged a hamstring just over a month ago and although he had been given the all-clear by medical staff he was unable to play in Wednesday's Champions...
05:52 PM, May 04, 2013
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi missed training on Friday as he battles to regain fitness for the La Liga leaders' final few matches of the campaign. "The Argentine forward ... did physiotherapy work" apart from the rest of his team mates, Barca said in a statement on their website. Messi damaged a hamstring just over a month ago and although he had been given the all-clear by medical staff he was...
08:06 AM, May 04, 2013
Barcelona: Dethroned as Europe's dominant team, Barcelona can begin rebuilding their reputation by clinching the Spanish league title this weekend. Barcelona can secure their 22nd domestic title and their fourth in five years if they beat Real Betis at Camp Nou on Sunday and second-place Real Madrid drops points at home against Valladolid the day before. Barcelona and Madrid were both eliminated from the Champions League semi-finals this week. Yet...
06:47 PM, May 03, 2013
Barcelona: With both Barcelona and Real Madrid still smarting from their respective Champions League collapses, the talk is already turning to what changes can be made - maybe even need to be made - for next season. Both Spanish teams lost to German opposition in the semi-finals. Bayern Munich routed Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate, and Borussia Dortmund survived a second-leg loss to reach the final with a 4-3 combined score...
06:29 PM, May 03, 2013
Madrid: The failure of Barcelona and Real Madrid to reach the Champions League final on May 25 has allowed La Liga to rearrange the penultimate round of matches, the Spanish league (LFP) said on Thursday. Leaders Barcelona were hammered 7-0 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in their semi-final while second-placed Real went down 4-3 against Borussia Dortmund. "In line with a prevision made in the calendar... that if no Spanish...
10:54 PM, May 02, 2013
Barcelona: Barcelona's Champions League humbling by Bayern Munich on Wednesday will not prompt wholesale changes to the squad and the 7-0 aggregate reverse would have been avoided had the team not been decimated by injury, coach Tito Vilanova said. Barca suffered their worst ever European defeat over two legs in the last-four clash against the German champions, but were missing their Argentine World Player of the Year Lionel Messi for...
08:54 AM, May 02, 2013
Barcelona: Barcelona were dealt a blow as they prepare for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg at home to Bayern Munich when midfielder Sergio Busquets and defender Eric Abidal were ruled out through injury. "Sergio Busquets and Eric Abidal will not feature in tomorrow's match," Barca said in a statement on their website on Tuesday. "The midfielder has not recovered from the (groin) injury that kept him from playing ......
12:24 AM, May 01, 2013
Madrid: No team has ever advanced after losing the first leg of a European Cup tie by four goals. To Lionel Messi, that doesn't mean it can't be done. After he and Barcelona were mauled 4-0 at Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday, Messi said they must not give up hope for the return leg at the Camp Nou next week. That, he said, will be "a...
11:23 PM, Apr 24, 2013
You aren't a journalist if you don't speculate. So what if the speculation is about the world coming to an end after watching the world's best football club capitulate in a manner that might even shame the German defeat at Stalingrad? As sports fans and observers, we are often prone to hyperbole, but that may be excused if the matter up for debate is whether modern football's most decorated and...
04:53 PM, Apr 24, 2013
Madrid: Even Lionel Messi, so often Barcelona's saviour, was at a loss to explain how the La Liga leaders could come back from their Champions League semi-final mauling in Munich. Barca were thumped 4-0 away by an impressive Bayern Munich in their first leg on Tuesday, putting in one of their most toothless displays in recent memory. On Wednesday, they were greeted with newspaper headlines such as 'Historic beating' in...
03:47 PM, Apr 24, 2013
Munich: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has been given the all-clear to play in their Champions League semi-final first leg at Bayern Munich later on Tuesday after recovering from a hamstring strain, the La Liga club said. "The Argentine player has the green light from the doctors to take part in the crucial match against the German side," Barca said in a statement on their website (www.fcbarcelona.es). Messi, who sustained the...
11:02 PM, Apr 23, 2013
Pep Guardiola is not the only connection between Bayern Munich and Barcelona, who meet in their Champions League semi-final, first leg at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday. Both teams are dominating their leagues to an almost embarrassing extent, have won the Champions League four times apiece, share an acrimonious rivalry with Real Madrid, and owe part of their success to the flamboyant Dutchman Louis van Gaal. Both have also been...
06:27 PM, Apr 22, 2013
Madrid: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has recovered sufficiently from a hamstring strain to feature in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg at Bayern Munich, sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta said on Monday. The Argentine World Player of the Year sat out Saturday's 1-0 La Liga win at home to Levante and has not yet been given the all-clear by medical staff but was included in the squad for the clash at...
04:04 PM, Apr 22, 2013
