Messi Injury History: The Latest on the Barcelona Star's Health and Recovery

Image Source: FreeImages

‍

With the way Lionel Messi has been playing this season, No. 10 is already a fixture in Barcelona's lineup — and he might even be the team's most reliable player. The Argentine forward missed most of last season due to injury and has played only seven matches in 2017 due to a shoulder injury. But after missing the first two months of this campaign with another shoulder injury, Messi returned to action on Dec. 6 against Bayern Munich and has not looked back since. In his 15 matches this season, Messi has scored 16 goals, which is more than double the seven he had as a rookie in 2015 with Argentina at the World Cup. With 10 goals in all competitions, he's on pace to shatter his record of 14 career hat-tricks set during a single campaign set by fellow Argentinian midfielder Javier Mascherano in 2006. (Peru striker Paolo Guerrero also had nine hat-tricks during that season.) If he can maintain this pace into December, it would make him the second player in history (after Mascheraro) to score 30 or more goals in each of his first three seasons at a club, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. With Barcelona facing an extended period without their talismanic attacker due to injury or suspension, we take a look at how their other options have performed when filling Messi's shoes so far this season:

Roberto Martin (15 games, 10 goals)

Despite a limited role in his home country, Martin has been the most productive member of the Barca B forward core this season. The 19-year-old Swiss international, who has won five caps for his country, has played a major role in keeping Barca B's tally ticking over and has been one of the team's most consistent performers throughout the season. In 33 league appearances this season, Martin has scored 15 goals, which puts him on pace to break his own record of 16 goals set during a single campaign in 2015 with his current club, Basel. With seven games remaining in the season, Martin has a chance to become the first player in the history of Switzerland's top-flight league to score 30 goals in a single campaign.

Lionel Messi (15 games, 16 goals)

In his first season with Barcelona, Messi started slowly but finished the campaign on an incredible tear. The Argentine forward finished with a career-high 75 goals in all competitions, including a club-record 26 goals in La Liga. Messi's La Liga performance was even more stunning as he came back from a three-match absence due to injury, scoring eight goals in his final nine matches of the season. In 32 league appearances this season, Messi has scored 16 goals, which puts him on pace to break his own record of 17 goals set during a single campaign in 2014 with his current club, FC Barcelona. With seven games remaining in the season, Messi has a chance to become the first player in the history of Argentina's top-flight league to score 30 goals in a single campaign.

Arda Turan (7 games, 3 goals)

A steady and reliable presence in front of the back four for almost two years, Turan's season was cut short due to injury. The 31-year-old Turkish defender, who is one of four players to have won the European Championship with Spain and two with Barcelona, missed the entire 2016-17 campaign with a metatarsal injury. After more than three months on the sidelines, the veteran returned to the field and made a difference, playing every minute of every match for the last two months of the season after missing the first 45. In his seven appearances for the club this season, Arda Turan has contributed three goals and an assist, which gives him a total of five goals, five assists and 15 points in all competitions for the season.

Denis Suarez (2 games, 1 goal)

Like Turan, Suarez missed all of last season due to an injury. The 29-year-old Uruguayan striker, who won the 2015 South American Footballer of the Year and the 2012 Champions League with Barcelona, missed the first month of the 2017-18 campaign due to a knee injury. After a month on the sidelines, Suarez returned to the lineup and notched his first goal since December 28, helping his side reach the Champions League quarterfinals. In 18 league matches this season, Suarez has only scored twice, but he's also collected three assists, which gives him a total of five goals, five assists and 15 points in all competitions for the season.

Ousmane Diao (1 game, 0 goals)

A key player for much of his two seasons at Old Trafford, Diao didn't make the move to Barcelona until June. The 30-year-old Ivory Coast international has started just three matches for the Catalan club this season, but he's made an immediate impact with two goals and an assist in those three games. In his first two starts for Barcelona, Diao has notched two goals and an assist, which gives him a total of three goals, three assists and 10 points in all competitions for the season.

Marco Verratti (26 games, 2 goals)

A quick and creative midfielder who won a Ballon d'Or while at Perugia, Verratti was acquired by Barcelona from Italian club Perugia in July in a swap deal that involved Neymar. The 27-year-old Italian, who won two Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia with Perugia, has started just two matches for the club this season — one of those came in the Champions League against Real Madrid — and has registered two assists in those two games. In 26 league matches this season, Verratti has scored two goals, which gives him a total of four goals and six points in all competitions for the season.

Marco Asensio (3 games, 1 goal)

A product of Espanyol's youth academy, Asensio has made exactly one appearance for the senior side this season, coming in a 3-1 friendly loss to Ecuador on November 10. The 20-year-old Spaniard, who has represented his country at the under-20 level, has also made one appearance for the under-21 side and has registered one assist in that appearance. In three games for the reserves this season, Asensio has notched one assist and registered one yellow card, which gives him a total of one assist and one yellow card in all competitions for the season.

Pierre-Emile Hojberg (1 game, 0 goals)

The 20-year-old Norwegian midfielder was loaned to Espanyol in the summer and made his professional debut in a 2-1 Eibar friendly win on November 24. The midfielder, who has represented his country at the youth level, has started just two games for the Txuri-urdin side and has registered one assist in those two games. In two appearances for the reserves this season, Hojberg has notched one assist and registered one yellow card, which gives him a total of one assist and one yellow card in all competitions for the season.

Lucas Hernández (5 games, 0 goals)

A key member of the 2015 Copa America team, Hernándhi has not been selected to a single national team since then. After a loan spell at Real Madrid in the offseason, the 23-year-old Argentinean forward spent the second half of the season with Porto. After only two goals and two assists in 26 league matches for the Portuguese club, Hernández returned to Porto where he spent the second half of the season on loan and eventually retired from professional football. In five games for the reserves this season, Lucas Hernández has notched one assist and registered one yellow card, which gives him a total of one assist, one yellow card and five points in all competitions for the season.

Ousmane Dembele (6 games, 4 goals)

After spending two years at Barcelona II, Dembehi was transferred to Eibar in January, where he has spent all of this season. After making only one appearance for the Scottish side, Dembehi returned to Spain and played for Barcelona II in the Copa del Rey final against Getxo. After