Messi Trains Alone as Argentina Prepares for Sixth World Cup

Lionel Messi stepped onto the grass in Kansas City on Monday afternoon, but not with the rest of the group. While his Argentina teammates went through their first full training session on U.S. soil, the captain peeled away to one side of the pitch, working alone under the close eye of the medical and fitness staff.

No drama. Just caution.

The 38-year-old has been managing muscle fatigue in his left hamstring since May 24, an unwelcome detail for a player about to lead the defending World Cup champions into another tournament. Argentina have gathered this week at their base camp in the United States, beginning a carefully calibrated build-up to their title defence.

Messi is expected to be ready for Argentina’s opener against Algeria on June 16, also in Kansas City. Every step between now and then is about making sure that expectation holds.

On Monday, that meant “specific exercises” away from the main group, a program shared with several other squad members carrying minor fitness issues. The Argentina Football Association described the players with “niggles and injuries” as continuing to work with the physiotherapy team on tailored drills on the pitch and reported they are “making good progress.”

The main squad pushed through their first pretournament session, the mood businesslike rather than celebratory. Argentina arrive in the U.S. ranked number three in the world, wearing the weight of champions and the target that comes with it.

Their schedule leaves little room for missteps. A final tune-up game against Iceland awaits on June 9 in Auburn, Alabama, the last chance for Lionel Scaloni and his staff to sharpen details before the serious business begins in Kansas City a week later.

For Messi, this camp marks another entry in a catalogue of records. The Inter Miami captain, already a two-time MLS MVP and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, is heading into a record sixth World Cup. No Argentine has worn the shirt more often: 198 caps since his debut in 2005, and a national-record 116 goals.

Those numbers frame the stakes of every training decision. Argentina know exactly what they have in their captain, and exactly what they risk if they rush him.

So on day one in Kansas City, Messi trained alone. The real question is how long Argentina can keep him in bubble wrap before the demands of another World Cup pull him back into the heart of the storm.