The great Lionel Messi ‘suffers’ when playing in freezing temperatures as rumours swirl of the superstar’s reluctance to face Sporting Kansas City.
That is according to Inter Miami teammate and good pal Luis Suarez. The former Barcelona stars are preparing to face Sporting in a CONCACAF Champions Cup opener at Children’s Mercy Park on Tuesday night. But according to Inter Miami insider Franco Panizio, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has been hit with cold feet with temperatures expected to plunge to a ridiculous -24 degrees Celcius.
He claims Messi is not keen on playing in the “blistering cold” and could even sit out the match. Panizo added: “Whether he does or not is still to be determined, but there is a chance Messi does not play in the CONCACAF Champions Cup opener.”
If the forecast is to be believed it would be the coldest football match on US soil since Colorado Rapids faced Portland Timbers six years ago. The temperature was -7 Celsius on that occasion. The forecast also warns of predicted snowfall of between 9 and 11 inches in Kansas City on Tuesday. The game could potentially be postponed if heavy snowfall mixes with an ice-cold wind chill.
Sporting KC president Jake Reid said: “Cold is one thing – we’ll see what the snow does. We’ll be ready. Our concern is around safe access for fans to and from and clearing the parking lots and walking ways. The cold is what it is. Bundle up. Bring your blankets, bring your hats. No one should be surprised when they come out that it’s freezing cold.”
And Suarez revealed that pal Messi suffered a lot during his time in France with PSG due to the colder climate compared to his years in Spain. According to the Uruguayan’s words to TNT Sports in 2021, the Argentine felt this held him back from achieving his true potential in the French capital.
The ex-Liverpool forward, who starred for Atletico Madrid at the time, said: “We talk every day, we always try to avoid expectations because we are players and we know how we have to act in those moments, we talk about the games, about the family. He told me that he suffers a lot playing in the cold and snow. You have to get used to the cold there for sure.”