Corona late effects
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Messi’s lungs affected
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22 pictures This is Lionel Messi
Photo: dpa/Manu Fernandez
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Berlin Soccer superstar Lionel Messi had to struggle with his corona infection at the beginning of the year much more than was previously known. “I couldn’t even walk properly for a month and a half,” Messi said now. Why he is still optimistic about the new season.
Superstar Lionel Messi had to deal with long-term effects after his corona infection. “The truth is that it hit me very hard. And it left its mark on me, there were after-effects, especially in the lungs,” said the captain of Argentina’s national football team in an interview with Argentine TV channel TyC Sports.
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Messi had tested positive for the corona virus in early January. “I couldn’t train. I came back and I couldn’t even walk properly for about a month and a half because my lungs were affected,” said the midfielder for French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
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He was not afraid and even started earlier out of ambition, against the advice of the doctors. After a three-game break, he returned in the 4-0 win over Stade Reims on 23 January when he came on as a 63rd-minute substitute. But in retrospect it was too soon and had negative consequences. “I came back before I should have. And it got worse because I was too hasty. That threw me back,” said the 34-year-old. He couldn’t stand doing nothing anymore: “I wanted to run and train – I just wanted to keep going. And it ended up getting worse.”
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Messi’s first season with the Parisians after moving from Barcelona was mediocre. In 34 competitive games he met only eleven times. In the end, it was probably also a consequence of his infection. But now he’s optimistic again. “This year will be different. I am already prepared for what is to come. I know the club, I know the city, I feel a little more comfortable in the dressing room with my team-mates and I know it will be different,” he said.
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