This archive report was first published on 25 September 2019.
Barcelona's Argentine star Lionel Messi made his first start for the club in their 2-1 win over Villarreal at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night.
However, his return to the pitch was short-lived as he lasted only 45 minutes after being tackled roughly by Villarreal's Javier Ontiveros in the 31st minute.
Messi had made his presence felt earlier in the game, providing an assist for Antoine Griezmann's goal in the sixth minute.
Despite showing signs of injury, Messi continued to play, but did not return to the pitch with the rest of his teammates at the start of the second half.
Frenchman Ousmane Dembele replaced Messi for the remainder of the game, but he did not make much impact as he recently returned from injury.
Barca manager Ernesto Valverde admitted that his captain suffered a little discomfort in his thigh, saying, "It's some discomfort in the abductor and so we didn't want to risk it."
Messi had to wait till after the FIFA international break to make his Barcelona debut this season in their Champions League goalless draw in Germany last week.
