Lionel Messi's Training Ahead of World Cup 2023 in Kansas City

Lionel Messi stepped onto the grass in Kansas City alone, a few yards away from the main group, the familiar No. 10 working in quiet isolation while the world watches his every move.

Argentina’s first training session on U.S. soil, the starting point of their World Cup title defence, unfolded on Monday at their base camp in Missouri. The full squad gathered. The captain did too — just not in the usual way.

Messi, 38, has been managing muscle fatigue in his left hamstring since May 24, an issue that has kept medical staff busy and fans slightly on edge. With the World Cup opener against Algeria looming on June 16 in Kansas City, every stretch and stride from the Inter Miami star carries extra weight.

He did not join the full-contact drills. Instead, he worked through “specific exercises” on the pitch, part of a tailored plan drawn up for him and a small group of teammates who are also nursing fitness concerns. Short movements. Controlled intensity. Precision over spectacle.

Argentina’s Football Association confirmed the approach, outlining that “players who are suffering from niggles and injuries continue to work with the physiotherapy team on specific exercises on the pitch and are making good progress.” No alarm bells, just measured management of a veteran core that has played a lot of football — and won almost everything.

The schedule leaves little room for hesitation. Ranked number three in the world, Argentina have one final tune-up before the real thing: a friendly against Iceland on June 9 in Auburn, Alabama. That match will offer clues about Lionel Scaloni’s choices, but all eyes will drift back to the same figure.

This is Messi’s sixth World Cup, a record that stretches across generations of the sport. He arrives as a two-time MLS MVP and an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, still the heartbeat of a team that leans on his vision and authority. Since his debut in 2005, he has become Argentina’s all-time leader in caps (198) and goals (116), numbers that frame not just longevity but dominance.

So the image from day one in Kansas City matters: Messi, slightly apart, building toward full speed, protected yet pivotal. The World Cup defence will not be decided in these light sessions, but the tone is being set now — with Argentina managing their greatest asset carefully, so he can decide the biggest moments when June 16 finally arrives.