Barcelona's Messi substituted at halftime for "slight pain"

Posted January 17, 2016 6:00 am

The Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Lionel Messi was substituted after suffering what Barcelona coach Luis Enrique called a "slight pain" during halftime of Barcelona's 6-0 rout of 10-man Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Messi showed no signs of being slowed down as he helped Barcelona build a 2-0 lead after opening the scoring with a penalty in the seventh minute.

Luis Enrique replaced the Argentina playmaker with Arda Turan at halftime, saying later that he had done so as a precaution.

He said Messi "will have the necessary tests, but he has a slight pain. We preferred not to take a risk."

Barcelona club president Josep Bartomeu had said earlier that Messi "doesn't have anything wrong."

In September, Messi tore a ligament in his left knee and was sidelined for two months.

FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi, from Argentina, holds up his Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball) award as European Footballer of the Year prior the Spanish La Liga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) The Associated Press

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