Lionel Messi started 2026 at half throttle, without forcing himself physically to avoid injury, and with a defeat in his first match of the year, which will have as its climax the World Cup, where with Argentina he is expected to defend the title of reigning champion won four years ago.
In Inter Miami’s first preseason match, Messi started and played 63 minutes against Alianza Lima, which won 3-0 against Las Garzas with a brace from veteran Peruvian striker Paolo Guerrero and another goal from fellow Peruvian striker Luis Ramos.
Messi gets World Cup year off to a bad start
Special night in Lima 😍
Paolo Guerrero 🇵🇪🇦🇷 Lionel Messi #CreeEnGrande pic.twitter.com/oVycgEC6ZV
– CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) January 25, 2026
The Argentine star was the great expectation of the Tarde Blanquiazul, with which the team from the Lima district of La Victoria presented itself to its fans in preparation for the new season, which will officially start next week.
Messi was part of the starting eleven named by Argentine coach Javier Mascherano and formed an attacking trident alongside compatriot Rodrigo De Paul and Uruguayan Luis Suárez.
However, the pink team played slowly, without going all out, aware that this was the first test of the preseason and it was better to avoid injuries like the one suffered by Spaniard Sergio Reguilón in the opening minutes of the match.
Despite having freedom of movement, Messi was sparing with his strength and the best chance he had in the entire match was a promising free kick for one of his masterful performances that he has accumulated over the course of his career.
Leo opted for a shot over the wall that missed the crossbar, just inches from the goal defended by Bolivian Guillermo Viscarra.
After that, he hardly played a role on the pitch again, until he was replaced in the 63rd minute by American Daniel Pinter.
This was the second time that Messi played in Peru with Inter Miami, having played last year in preseason with Universitario de Deportes at the Monuental Stadium in Lima.
On this occasion, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player made his debut at the Alejandro Villanueva stadium, where he had never played in his various visits to Peru with both Inter Miami and the Argentine national team.
Messi’s next scheduled appearances with Inter Miami will be part of the North American team’s South American tour, against Atlético Nacional on January 31 in Medellín (Colombia) and on February 7 against Ecuador’s Barcelona in Guayaquil (Ecuador).
Filed under: Messi starts the year badly
With information from EFE
