Lionel Messi might miss two La Liga fixtures due to his commitments to the Dakar rally

Messi might miss two La Liga games at the start of the year including the Catalan Derby

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi might miss two competitive La Liga matches at the start of the year due to his commitments to the Dakar Rally according to its race manager, as per ESPN. The 2016 version of the much famed Dakar rally is going to be held in Argentina and Bolivia this year with the race starting in Messi’s homecountry’s capital Buenos Aires on Jan 2nd.

The rally, formerly known as the Paris-Dakar, has been held in South America since 2009 for security reasons. As the rally traverses through Messi’s hometown Rosario,the rally’s general manager Etienne Lavigne in an interview with Spanish daily AS said that Messi is expected to be at the initiation of the 15 day event, which would mean a clash with two La Liga fixtures scheduled for around that time.

"On Jan. 2 we are leaving from Buenos Aires to make the first camp in Rosario with Messi being present," Lavigne is quoted as saying in AS. "I spoke with him last night and he promised to be with us to greet the caravan. It is a pleasure to know that Messi likes things such as the Dakar."

The two La Liga fixtures that Messi might miss are the home clash against newly promoted side Real Betis which was controversially moved earlier in the summer and will now be played on either 30 or 31 december. Also Messi might miss the highly important and controversial Catalan derby against Espanyol which always is a special occasion for both the Catalan clubs.

If Messi is absent for the Christmas period fixtures then this will be the second year running in which he has spent the Christmas week in his hometown of Rosario. Last year Messi arrived from Argentina shortly before their first league fixture of 2015. He was not among the starting eleven and Barcelona lost that match by a single goal that caused much furore among Barca fans and also led to rumours about Luis Enrique losing his job.

Luis Enrique's decision not to start the forward in that match had caused a much publicised clash between the coach and the Rosario native. With Barcelona already without new signings for the first half of the season due to the transfer ban, Cules would hope that Messi does not miss the two La Liga fixtures which could prove pivotal later in the title race.