Lionel Messi trained alone just three days before the start of Argentina’s World Cup campaign.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has given Albiceleste fans cause for concern before Lionel Scaloni’s side open their Group C journey against Saudi Arabia in Lusail on Tuesday.
Messi suffered an injury scare just two weeks before the start of the Qatar tournament with an inflamed Achilles tendon keeping him out of action for club side Paris Saint-Germain before he returned with a 75-minute Ligue 1 outing against Auxerre on November 13.
The iconic captain then started and played the full 90 minutes while scoring during Argentina’s 5-0 World Cup warm-up rout of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, with Scaloni resisting the temptation to rest his star player.
Fears over Messi’s condition were sparked on Friday, when he sat out the first part of open training at Qatar University in Doha, having undertaken gym work instead. However, he was said to have appeared for the second half of the session that took place behind closed doors.
But the 35-year-old - who has scored 12 goals in 19 appearances for PSG so far this season - was pictured working alone on light drills during Argentina’s latest session on Saturday, with the press in his homeland reporting that was a “precautionary” measure due to muscle fatigue.
As it stands, there is not thought to be any real danger of Messi missing out against Saudi Arabia.
This is the former Barcelona superstar’s fifth and final World Cup, with one last chance at ending Argentina’s 36-year wait for a third triumph, having already declared that he will not play at the 2026 tournament being held jointly by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
He finally ended his major trophy drought at international level during the delayed Copa America tournament in Brazil last summer.
Click through the gallery above to see the latest pictures of Lionel Messi training before Argentina’s World Cup opener!
