Lionel Messi has been out of action since the Copa America final, but the knee injury has not stopped the leader inside him from motivating his teammates at Inter Miami. The eight-time Ballon d'Or has been an inspirational figure in the Miami locker room since his arrival at the club last season, where he led them to their first trophy, the MLS Cup.

Messi, arguably the greatest ever to play the game, has been ensuring the players remained confident ahead of every MLS game, talking with them and sharing his insights.

Miami midfielder Matias Rojas revealed that Messi talks with the players before the game and pays attention to what is happening.

“Leo is always there, he watches everything and he talks to us before games. He communicates more with those who can speak Spanish, he pays attention to what is happening, and he gives his opinion. We are proud to be in there, enjoying these moments," Rojas told Goal.

He further talked about playing with Messi, who he called the best player in the history of football.

"Sometimes I talk to my family to realise what is happening, but as I always say, I will not get tired of saying that we share the day with the best player in the history of football. There are no words to describe what I feel every day," he added.

Messi, who got injured during the Copa America final against Colombia, was left out of the squad, which was announced on Monday by the Argentine FA for next month's South American World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia.

Since his ankle injury, Messi ended up missing several important matches including the MLS All-Star game and Inter Miami's Leagues Cup defence.

The 37-year-old Messi was not included in the squad following an ankle injury as he is currently recovering from that in Miami.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni announced his 28-man squad on Monday for the matches against Chile on September 5 and Colombia five days later.

The 36-year-old Ángel Di María, who retired from the national team after winning the recent Copa America, is not on the list either.

World Cup champion Argentina leads South American qualifying with 15 points after six matches.

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