Lionel Messi 'Goes Nuts' When Injured, Says Argentina Doctor Donato Villani

Lionel Messi’s remarkable durability means that prolonged injury layoffs have been rare in his glittering career, so it must be doubly difficult for the Argentina man when he is out of the side. Indeed, Donato Villani, the head of the Argentine national team's medical staff, has suggested Messi “goes nuts” when not playing football.

The Blaugrana icon picked up a knee injury during Barcelona’s clash against Las Palmas on Saturday and was subsequently ruled our for a maximum of eight weeks. Villani revealed he thinks Messi will find it tough to be sat on the sidelines, but expects him to be back earlier than anticipated, per Marca:

"

I've known Leo for years and I have absolutely no doubt that he'll be back from his injury in the shortest possible time, maybe before the predicted period of six to eight weeks.

It's not a tear that requires surgery. It heals with an initial rest from sport and then kinesiology. Messi goes nuts when he can't play. The desire to get back to playing and to get better have a big impact.

"

The man himself posted the following on his Facebook page, in which he insists being out of the starting lineup will be tough:

For a Barcelona squad that has been hampered by injury problems, the sale of key players in the summer and sanctions preventing them from drafting in any fresh faces, it’s going to be struggle not having Messi around to help drag the team through matches, even with the likes of Neymar and Luis Suarez up top.

David Ramos/Getty Images

But according to Messi’s brother, Rodrigo, the Barcelona No. 10 is hopeful of being back at full tilt for what will be a crucial clash with eternal rivals Real Madrid on November 22, despite having initial worries about the nature of the knock.

“He was frightened [about the injury] initially, but he calmed down once he left the hospital,” said Rodrigo, per Al Primer Toque (h/t SPORT). “… We know there will be pressure on his recovery, but [his recovery] is all he thinking about. He doesn’t know if he will be able to play against Real Madrid, nobody does. Obviously he wants to play in the Clasico, though.”

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

There are few who will feel too sorry for Barcelona given the quality of players they can call upon in Messi’s absence, not to mention being able to dip into the club’s revered academy structure to fill their squad. But not having the 28-year-old in the team would be enough to hamper the fortunes of any side on the planet.

The only silver lining for Barcelona is that Messi is unlikely to miss many matches that are hugely difficult for the Blaugrana to negotiate, as noted by Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez:

If the European champions can get through these next few weeks unscathed before Messi returns, then they’ll be well placed for a strong second half to the season. Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal will be able to take their places in the first-team squad in January and that will give everyone at the Camp Nou a huge boost after being unable to add new players for the last two transfer windows.

A break might be a blessing in disguise for Messi too. The Argentina man is renowned for his thirst to play in every match and after a summer in which he spearheaded his country’s charge to the Copa America final, Messi hasn’t had too much time off. After some time to rest, expect Barca’s talisman to return replenished and ready to fire this team to glory in 2016.