Inter Miami star responds when asked about Lionel Messi's fitness after his early substitution in win over Sporting KC

Inter Miami star Jordi Alba was asked about Lionel Messi's fitness this season following his early substitution in their last game. The Argentine superstar was taken off in the 69th minute during the Herons' 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Lionel Messi scored the first goal of the night for Inter Miami in the clash. Tadeo Allende (45+1') and Luis Suarez (45+3') found the back of the net ahead of halftime to triple the lead. Memo Rodriguez scored a consolation goal (63') to deny the Herons a clean sheet. The 3-1 victory led to an overall 4-1 aggregate win for the Herons in the first round. The Argentine superstar also scored the only goal of the night in their 1-0 triumph in the first leg.

Although things ended well for Inter Miami, there were concerns regarding Lionel Messi's early substitution in the game. The legendary forward usually remains on the pitch for the entire 90-minute duration.

In the post-match press conference, the Herons star Jordi Alba was asked to comment on Messi's fitness due to his early departure from the pitch against Sporting Kansas City. The Spaniard did not indicate any fitness concerns and said (via Inter Miami News Hub):

"As always, nothing new to say about him. He is very important, for me the best of all time, he’s in good shape."

Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi have shared the pitch in 377 games for Barcelona and Inter Miami, recording 41 joint-goal participations. The two were in Barcelona between 2012 and 2021 when Messi left the club to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The duo reunited once again for the Herons in the summer of 2023 and together won the 2024 Supporters' Shield last season.

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Lionel Messi fined after grabbing opposition coaching staff member by the neck during Inter Miami's 2-2 draw in the MLS

Messi - Source: Getty

Lionel Messi was fined an undisclosed amount by the MLS after he was spotted grabbing a member of the opposition coaching staff by the neck during a match. The incident took place on February 22 during the Herons' 2-2 draw against New York City FC.

The MLS Disciplinary Committee took the decision to fine Messi following the altercation for violating the league's policy regarding "raising hands to the face, head or neck of an opponent." Luis Suarez was also fined an undisclosed amount after he was spotted pinching New York City FC player Birk Risa's neck during halftime.

Neither Messi nor Suarez scored in the game, which marked their first MLS fixture in 2025 after a fairly successful pre-season.