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Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi will not play in this week's MLS All-Star Game, the league announced on Monday, eight days after the Argentina superstar left his team's Copa América final win over Colombia with an ankle injury.
Messi's teammate Luis Suárez will also miss the game due to what the team described as "knee discomfort." The team's other two former Barcelona stars, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, will play.
The pair were both listed among unavailable players for Wednesday's match in Columbus, Ohio, pitting MLS All Stars from 18 league clubs against top talent from Mexico's Liga MX. Messi was also out for Miami's past two league games, wins over Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.
The game would have been the 37-year-old Messi's MLS All-Star Game debut after he joined Inter Miami in July 2023 following a storied career in Europe.
Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi has 12 goals and 13 assists in his first 12 games of 2024 for Inter Miami, making him the quickest to 25 goal contributions ever in an MLS season. Miami is currently in first place in the Supporters' Shield standings for the best record in MLS with 53 points.
Messi and Suárez are not the only MLS stars who won't be present, with Real Salt Lake striker Cristian Arango -- the league leader in goals this season -- serving a four-match suspension for violating the anti-harassment policy.
Arango leads MLS with 17 goals, which ties the RSL single-season record set by Alvaro Saborio in 2012. He will miss also miss RSL's Leagues Cup opener at home against Atlas on Aug. 1.
The All-Star Game will be played at 8 p.m. ET on July 24.
Information from Reuters was used in this story.
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