Lionel Messi Shouldn't Risk Further Injury by Hurrying Back for Barcelona Opener

Barcelona star Lionel Messi is arguably the best player in the world, and Barca's hopes in La Liga and Champions League play hinge largely on his performance this season. Even so, Leo shouldn't rush back from the thigh injury he is currently dealing with.

According to Liviu Bird of Pro Soccer Talk, Messi's status for Barcelona's season-opening match against Levante on Saturday is very much in doubt. Although Barca would obviously love to have him in the lineup, the team shouldn't push him, and he should be extremely cautious.

Messi reportedly suffered the thigh strain in a training session during Barcelona's trip to Malaysia. He didn't participate in Argentina's friendly victory over Italy on Wednesday, and he has not resumed training, so his status is very much up in the air.

With an incredible 133 goals over the past two seasons, Messi has been a dominant force for Barca. Taking him out of the lineup makes Barcelona a totally different team, but they should be able to get by for a match or two. Levante finished in the middle of the La Liga pack last season, and it isn't as if the rest of Barcelona's roster is devoid of talent.

In addition to newcomer Neymar, Blaugrana boasts a number of potential goalscorers. Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, Pedro, Cristian Tello and others offer more than enough firepower to make up for the potential absence of Messi.

Barcelona's second match of the year is on Aug. 20 against Atletico Madrid. Then they have four days off before playing Malaga, so it might not be a bad idea to hold Messi out for at least the first two matches of the season. Barca had a goal differential of plus-75 last season in La Liga play and beat Real Madrid for the top spot by 15 points.

Much of that dominance had to do with Messi's unreal play, but Barcelona doesn't need Messi against lesser teams. Atletico Madrid could certainly give them some trouble without Messi, as they finished third in the league last season, but Barca should be able to scratch out a draw at worst, regardless of whether or not Messi suits up.

Barca incredibly lost just two matches all last season while drawing four, so there is plenty of room for error early in the year. Barcelona has somehow managed to get even better since last season, so a short stretch without Messi won't be the end of the world. Losing him for an extended period of time could doom their La Liga chances, though.

Leg injuries are nothing to mess around with in soccer, especially for a player like Messi, who relies on being quicker than everyone else on the pitch. Messi isn't programmed to take it easy over the course of a game, so he is going to push himself to the limit as soon as he returns to playing. That means aggravating the thigh injury is a possibility if he comes back too soon.

Real Madrid may have finished 15 points behind Barca last season, but they only lost five matches in their own right, and they have a player who can stake claim to the "best in the world" title as well in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo. Even though Barca may still have a more talented all-around team without Messi, having him miss a chunk of the season would be quite damaging.

It's understandable that Barcelona fans are excited to see what Messi and Neymar can do together—and perhaps a bit impatient at that. Even so, Messi's long-term health should be the top priority, so playing it safe is the best route to take.

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