Messi Trains Alone as Argentina Prepares for World Cup

Lionel Messi stepped onto the grass in Kansas City on Monday, but not quite with the rest of Argentina.

While the world champions began their first full training session at their U.S. base camp, the captain worked off to one side, going through a tailored routine designed for a 38-year-old body that has carried a nation for nearly two decades.

No alarm bells yet. Just careful management.

Messi has been dealing with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring since May 24, an issue that has kept Argentina’s staff on alert but not in panic. The expectation inside the camp is clear: he should be ready for Argentina’s World Cup opener against Algeria on June 16, right here in Kansas City.

On day one, the focus was on “specific exercises” rather than full-contact drills. Messi joined a small group of teammates also nursing minor fitness problems, working under the close eye of the physiotherapy team as the rest of the squad went through more conventional pretournament work.

“The players who are suffering from niggles and injuries continue to work with the physiotherapy team on specific exercises on the pitch and are making good progress,” Argentina’s Football Association said, offering reassurance as cameras tracked every step of their captain.

This is a familiar balance for Argentina now: protect the star, sharpen the squad.

Ranked number three in the world, the defending champions are settling into their American base with a clear plan. A final tune-up awaits against Iceland on June 9 in Auburn, Alabama, the last live rehearsal before the title defence begins in earnest.

For Messi, the stakes are personal as well as historic. The Inter Miami captain, twice named MLS MVP and an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, is heading into a record sixth World Cup. No Argentine has worn the shirt more often: 198 caps since his debut in 2005, with 116 goals to his name.

So he trains alone, for now. Surrounded by teammates, wrapped in precaution, and walking the fine line between preservation and preparation as another World Cup — and perhaps his last — draws into view.