Fears have grown among fans that Argentina’s talisman, Lionel Messi might not be fit to play in Sunday’s high-octane 2022 FIFA World Cup final against France.
The 35-year-old football star was given a break from a training session ahead of the final match amid fears that he might be struggling with a hamstring injury.
The fears surfaced after Messi was seen clutching his hamstring during Argentina’s encounter with Croatia. As per media reports, Messi has experienced some problems with his hamstring.
Messi was not present for Argentina’s opening training session. His absence on the pitch sparked fears among his fans, raising doubts over his fitness.
As per a report in mirror.co.uk, Lionel Messi was instead working in the gym, alongside Emiliano Martinez and Rodrigo de Paul. The report suggests that these three players were given recovery time as they started the fixture against Croatia.
Messi has been in sensational form in the Qatar World Cup. He has scored five goals till now and is in the race for the Golden Boot. France’s star Kylian Mbappe is also in the race after netting the same number of goals.
Although Argentina’s hopes rely heavily on Messi, the team has several attacking options: Paulo Dybala, Angel di Maria, Lautaro Martinez, and Julian Alvarez, who scored two goals against Croatia in the World Cup semi-final.
However, in the absence of Messi, France can have the upper hand with players like Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, and Antoine Griezmann. The French superstars have proved pivotal in their team’s journey in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.