Lionel Messi Suffers Achilles Injury Just Two Weeks Before 2022 FIFA World Cup Begins

A large picture of Argentina's captain Lionel Messi is displayed on a building in Doha — Watch Moment Messi Poses With His PSG Jersey And Meets Fans Photo by Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images

Lionel Messi suffered an inflamed Achilles tendon just two weeks before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and missed out on Paris Saint-Germain’s trip to Lorient on Sunday. The football star was said to be performing excellently this season, scoring 12 goals and 14 assists under his belt.

According to Eurosport, Messi will be taking a short break to treat his inflamed Achilles tendon as a precautionary measure, PSG said in a statement. Prior to this, the Argentine footballer missed two games in October. He was unable to play due to a similar issue with his calf. PSG remarked that he will resume collective training next week.

Meanwhile, Messi has been the subject of much talk lately as rumors have been floating around that the coming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 may be his last. This would make it his only chance left to bring home the trophy for Argentina, who is on a 35-game winning streak. The upcoming World Cup would mark Messi’s 1000th career game should he resume playing for PSG’s Ligue 1 game against Auxerre and the remaining games for Argentina leading to the big event.

Brazil is the top favorite to win the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, with Argentina coming in second with the current champion France in third place. Messi with his Argentina team has been placed in Group C, alongside Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Poland. Argentina will begin its campaign against Saudi Arabia on Nov. 22, then Mexico four days later, concluding its campaign with a match with Poland on Nov. 30. Argentina has not won the World Cup since Diego Maradona brought home the trophy back in 1986.

Messi himself has never brought home the trophy despite his outstanding performance in the sport, making it the only thing missing from his incredible career after receiving his first senior international trophy at the 2021 Copa America.

During his time playing for Argentina, Messi has seen the team knocked out in the quarter-finals of 2006 and 2010 World Cup, and fell at the last 16 stages in 2018. However, the team did manage to reach the finals in Brazil during the 2014 World Cup, losing to Germany in extra time.