Messi and his court, in Medellín for Nacional vs. Inter
Messi is in Medellín after 13 years. Promises show. Atlético Nacional takes a pause in the BetPlay 2026-I League to face “The Match of History”, as the organizers have called the friendly with Inter Miami, which will have action at the Atanasio Girardot stadium as part of its preseason tour.
The purslanes, who are waiting for Chicho Arango to reinforce their squad, have only played one game in 2026. It was against Boyacá Chicó, a 4-0 win in the capital of Antioquia with the scores of Andrés Sarmiento, Edwin Cardona and Juan Bauzá, for the first date of the Apertura. The games against Jaguares and Junior are pending, which had to be rescheduled.
As for Mascherano’s team, it comes from a 3-0 defeat with Alianza Lima in Peru, where it left a poor image. It was the first game in almost two months since they won the MLS Cup. In addition, Sergio Reguilón was injured against the blue and white, and will be out not only against Nacional. Nor will he be able to be in the training sessions against Barcelona de Guayaquil and Independiente del Valle on February 7 and 13, respectively.
Messi arrived alongside the Uruguayan Luis Suárez and Rodrigo de Paul, his teammates at Inter. His last visit to Medellín was for an exhibition game called “The Battle of the Stars II”, in which he was accompanied by several world football figures.
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