Lionel Messi set to miss at least 5 Inter Miami matches due to Copa America commitments with Argentina

Lionel Messi will miss a minimum of five Inter Miami games as he is set to lead Argentina in the Copa America 2024. He has been the club's talisman since joining them a year ago, and they have often struggled to play well in his absence.

Messi is easily the best player in the MLS, almost singlehandedly taking Inter Miami to the top of the Supporters' Shield rankings. This season has already seen him score 11 goals and provide nine assists in just 11 league games, and the Herons will be looking forward to him leading them into playoffs.

However, the Florida club could stumble when Lionel Messi joins Argentina for the Copa America games this summer. The tournament is set to be held between June 20 and July 14, and the playmaker is gearing up to actively partake.

Before the games begin, The Mirror reports that Messi will lead Argentina in two friendlies against Ecuador and Guatemala on June 9 and June 14, respectively. This means Messi will likely miss Inter Miami's upcoming game on Saturday, June 1, against St. Louis, as he prepares for Argentina's games.

The 36-year-old could also miss MLS games against Philadelphia, Columbus, Nashville, and Charlotte. With Argentina expected to go far in the Copa America 2024, the playmaker could miss more games. He might be available for their home match against Toronto on July 17, which is only four days after the Copa America concludes.

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La Liga president says Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's departures from Spain did not affect league

Javier Tebas recently said Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo leaving La Liga did not affect the league financially or otherwise. Notably, the Argentine legend left for Paris Saint-Germain a few years after his Portuguese counterpart left for Juventus.

Javier Tebas noted that other leagues did not benefit from the arrival of the two superstars and that La Liga did not lose anything (via Daily Post):

“[Messi and Ronaldo leaving] didn’t cause any damage because we didn’t shrink, but with them, we would certainly have grown faster. The French league with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe didn’t grow, Cristiano Ronaldo went to Italy and Italian football [revenue] has not improved, ours did even though we lost them both.”

Now, both players have left Europe, with Messi moving to the MLS with Inter Miami and Ronaldo moving to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Nassr.