Lionel Messi feared injury, pleaded with physio during the match yesterday

Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images

The Argentine star was caught on camera saying “I cannot be injured”

Lionel Messi pleaded with the Barcelona physio as he was forced off after a half in his team’s 2-1 win over Villarreal. The Argentine was caught on camera saying “no me puedo romper,” which roughly translates to “I cannot be injured,” by the show El Golazo de Gol.

The player has failed to complete a full match this season after injuring himself in the first preseason training session. Every time it seemed he was on the mend, a fresh new problem has caused further delays.

There will be further tests today to see the extent of the injury, which is likely on his calf muscle.

Messi logged his first assist of the season as Barça held on to three vital points yesterday. They are in the middle of a poor start to the season, with questions hanging over manager Ernesto Valverde’s head. Gerard Piqué in part blamed a busy preseason full of traveling for the bad beginning, revealing several players were dealing with niggling injuries.

Source: barcablaugranes.com