Lionel Messi was substituted at half-time in Barcelona’s La Liga game against Villarreal after suffering a thigh problem on his return to the starting line-up.
The Argentine attacker, who won FIFA’s The Best award on Monday night, was featuring from the outset for the first time this term after recovering from a calf injury sustained in pre-season.
In a bright start by Barca, he set up Antoine Griezmann for the opening goal and looked lively early in the game, having made only two substitute appearances prior to this game.
But he went down holding his left thigh just after the half-hour mark and received treatment on the sidelines as he looked to be in some discomfort.
He was soon back on to loud applause, but did not re-emerge for the second half as he was replaced by Ousmane Dembele for the second half.
The club captain is set to undergo tests on Wednesday and may be a doubt for the trip to Getafe on Saturday.
