Argentina vs France World Cup Final 2022: Lionel Messi misses training due to hamstring injury scare

Argentina vs France final match: The FIFA World Cup Final is just two days away. And the whole world is waiting to see Argentina take on defending champions France on Sunday (December 18). But there has been an injury scare. According to reports, Messi injured his hamstring during Argentina’s match against Croatia on Wednesday, following which the ace striker didn’t train with the team on Thursday. 

The 35-year-old was spotted holding at his left hamstring with discomfort during the match in the semi-final. The PSG talisman is at a peak this world cup and has unsurprisingly been the heart of Argentina's run to the final, picking up four Man of the Match awards from six World Cup games Argentina has played so far.  

As per news reports, the ace forward was struggling in the early stages against Croatia with a hamstring injury, and was seen massaging his left thigh. But he kept playing clearing the penalty spot before assisting Julian Alvarez's second. 

According to a report in Foot Mercato, Messi missed the Thursday practice session as he was experiencing discomfort in his hamstring, but has been tagged as fit so far.  

Earlier, Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez told reporters that Messi was not suffering: "No, no [he’s not injured]. We played 120 minutes against Holland; it was a hard game for him but you can see he wants to finish every game.” 

Big game ahead 

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is looking ahead to claim the Player of the Tournament title after one of the best series of his career. The only thing standing in his and Argentina's way are the reigning champions, France. 

 

Both the biggies have won the tournament twice, though Argentina have not done so since Diego Maradona led them to the trophy in 1986, while Messi and Co missed the mark in the final in 2014 against stronghold Germany.