Lionel Messi pictured wearing sling for the first time after breaking his arm as Barcelona prepare to face Inter Milan and Real Madrid without star man
- Lionel Messi has been pictured for the first time since breaking his arm
- He fractured a bone in his right arm during Barcelona’s win on Saturday
- The talisman could miss as many as six matches in all competitions
- He will miss two Champions League ties against Inter and Sunday’s El Clasico
Lionel Messi has been pictured for the first time since breaking his arm on Saturday while playing for Barcelona.
The Barca talisman fractured a bone in his right arm during the win over Sevilla and the club announced he would be sidelined for three weeks.
The first images, obtained by Spanish outlet Sport, have emerged of the crocked Argentine donning a sling to protect the problem area.
First images of Lionel Messi wearing a sling after fracturing his arm have been released
Messi broke a bone in his arm in Barcelona’s game against Sevilla on Saturday evening
GAMES LIONEL MESSI COULD MISS
Inter Milan (H) – October 24
Champions League
Real Madrid (H) – October 28
Cultural Leonesa (A) – October 31
Copa del Rey
Rayo Vallecano (A) – November 3
Inter Milan (A) – November 6
Champions League
Real Betis (H) – November 11
La Liga unless otherwise stated
The injury comes amid a run of hugely important fixtures for Ernesto Valverde’s men, starting with Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday.
He is also set to miss Sunday’s El Clasico and the return leg against Italian outfit in Milan.
Following last Saturday’s game, Messi was taken to the clinic at Barcelona’s training ground and the club were hopeful the injury was nothing more than a ‘hyper-extension’ around his right elbow.
But the club’s initial hopes were dashed when the prognosis came back he had fractured the arm, which could potentially see him miss six games.
The 31-year-old has once again been in sensational form this season having already scored 12 goals in all competitions, more than double the next-best tally – Ousmane Dembele with five.
Demebele, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho must now shoulder the brunt of the goal-scoring burden in Messi’s absence, starting with Inter’s visit to the Nou Camp on Wednesday evening.
The Argentine had to be treated on the pitch and his arm was eventually bandaged up
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