Lionel Messi injury: Valverde confirms the discomfort of the Argentine and explains his substitution in the Barcelona vs Villarreal match [PHOTOS]

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Barcelona won but didn't convince. They added another home victory, defeating Villarreal 2-1, but doubts about their performance remain. However, all the focus and attention were on Lionel Messi, who left the match at halftime due to discomfort in his left thigh adductor, as confirmed by coach Ernesto Valverde.

"When something happens to Messi, the whole world stops. It's just a minor discomfort in the adductor and we preferred not to take any risks. We'll see tomorrow. We didn't want to take a risk now that he's recovering from the previous injury," explained the Barcelona coach in the post-match press conference held at Camp Nou.

In the 28th minute of the game, after a collision with Ontiveros, the Argentine forward went to the sidelines to receive treatment on his left thigh.

Despite this, the captain of the Barcelona team completed the first half and, at halftime, Dembélé, who was returning to the team after recovering from another muscle injury, replaced the Argentine.

The Barcelona club has not yet provided information about the extent of the injury, pending medical tests. Messi's discomfort comes a week after he received medical clearance from another muscular injury to the soleus, which forced him to miss the first four matchdays of LaLiga Santander. EFE

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