The information about Messi’s return to the Argentina team was also confirmed by coach Scaloni after the 3-0 victory over Chile on September 6 in the South American qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup . “Everything will depend on Messi, when he returns to play for his club in the near future. We are looking forward to this happening, and look forward to the day Messi returns to the team in the match schedule next month,” coach Scaloni expressed.
Messi actively practices during his absence from the Argentina national team
Photo: Inter Miami Club
According to journalist Gaston Edul: “Reports from Inter Miami show that Messi is in the final stages of recovering from his injury. He will return to play at least 2 matches this September with the club. However, his participation in the competition will be very limited, but this is a step forward for Messi to gradually return to his best physical condition and form.”
Inter Miami will return to action after the FIFA Days schedule with a match against Philadelphia Union at 6:30 a.m. on September 15 and against Atlanta United at the same time on September 19. These are two matches in which Inter Miami hopes Messi’s return will give their teammates more motivation to maintain their 4-match winning streak, maintaining their top spot in the MLS Eastern Conference.
Inter Miami currently has 59 points after 27 matches, scoring 62 goals. Thereby, they are on the way to the Supporters’ Shield championship title (for the team with the best performance in the MLS scoring round), with 7 more rounds to go. The team of Mr. David Beckham as president and co-owner also has a place in the play-off round to compete for the MLS Cup championship (late October).
Inter Miami unexpectedly recruits another teammate of Messi
According to ESPN (USA), Inter Miami has added veteran goalkeeper Oscar Ustari (38 years old) to the roster with a temporary contract lasting about 4 months. Ustari will replace goalkeeper CJ dos Santos who recently had surgery after a broken bone in his left hand.
Messi unexpectedly reunites with former teammate at Inter Miami
Photo: SCREENSHOT
Goalkeeper Ustari joins Inter Miami on a free transfer and will be the backup to first-choice goalkeeper Drake Callender. Inter Miami are looking to win the Supporters’ Shield title in the remaining MLS fixtures, so they need an experienced backup goalkeeper, while CJ dos Santos is out for about four months to recover from his injury.
Notably, goalkeeper Ustari, who has just joined, is an old close friend of Messi, as both of them played for the U.20 and U.23 Argentina teams, winning the 2005 U.20 World Cup in the Netherlands and the 2008 Olympic gold medal respectively. The reunion of the two at Inter Miami is considered full of surprises and excitement.
Goalkeeper Ustari has played for many famous clubs in Argentina such as Independiente, Boca Juniors and Newell’s Old Boys. He also went to Europe to play for Getafe and Almeria in La Liga (Spain) and to England to play for Sunderland.