Messi Trains Alone as Argentina Prepares for World Cup

Lionel Messi stepped onto the grass in Kansas City on Monday, but not quite with the rest of Argentina.

While the world champions began their first full training session at their U.S. base camp, the captain peeled off to one side, working through a tailored program as the coaching and medical staff manage the muscle fatigue that has nagged his left hamstring since May 24.

No alarms, no drama. Just caution.

At 38, Messi knows every stride has to count. Argentina do, too. With their World Cup opener against Algeria set for June 16 in Kansas City, the priority is clear: get their leader to that night in one piece.

Messi joined the squad at the training complex and went through “specific exercises” on the pitch, alongside several teammates also nursing minor fitness issues. The Argentine Football Association underlined the approach, saying the players dealing with “niggles and injuries” are continuing to work with the physiotherapy team on individualized drills and “are making good progress.”

The rest of the group pushed through their first pretournament workout, the start of a camp that is expected to sharpen a side ranked number three in the world and still carrying the aura of defending champions.

The schedule offers them one more rehearsal. Argentina will face Iceland on June 9 in Auburn, Alabama, their final tune-up before the serious business begins.

For Messi, this camp is about more than another recovery plan. The Inter Miami captain, twice named MLS MVP and an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, is heading into a record sixth World Cup, extending a career at the summit of the international game that began with his debut for the national team in 2005.

Since then he has become Argentina’s undisputed reference point: all-time leader in caps, with 198 appearances, and in goals, with 116. Every session he completes in Kansas City is another step toward adding one more chapter to a story that already stretches across two decades.

The ball will roll for real on June 16. The question now is simple: how ready can Argentina make their greatest player for one last global push?