Lionel Messi does not know if he will return from his current knee injury in time to play for Barcelona in the Clasico at Real Madrid on Nov. 21, his brother Rodrigo has told Spanish radio.
Messi tore a ligament in his left knee early in last weekend's 2-1 La Liga win over Las Palmas at the Camp Nou, and Barca have said his time on the sidelines will be seven to eight weeks -- bringing him right up to the huge game at the Bernabeu.
Rodrigo Messi told radio show Al Primer Toque that he was aware of "pressure" for his brother to get back playing ahead of such a pivotal date in the calendar, however the player himself was not going to hurry his recovery and would only return when ready.
"[Messi] is an excellent professional and knows what he has to do," Rodrigo Messi said. "Obviously there is pressure in all aspects, but he is just thinking about his recovery. Nothing else. He really does not know [when he will return]. Nobody knows yet. His body will recover in its own time. There is no rush. Obviously he wants to play as quickly as possible, but he will only play when he is ready."
Messi is sure to miss Argentina's October World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay but comments from Albiceleste team doctor Donato Villani have raised hopes that the national captain could return in time for the qualifiers against Brazil and Colombia in the week before the Clasico.
Rodrigo said his brother would "suffer" if he could not play for his country in these games, however making sure he recovers properly must come first.
"Argentina have a good team," he said. "Leo will suffer not being with them. He loves the jersey and his country and he feels it a lot, as he wants to play. But you must think about other things, just the recovery."
The 28-year-old had been upset when the seriousness of the injury became clear, however his mood had since lifted, Rodrigo said.
"I spoke to him on the day he got injured and he was a bit down," he said. "Like any footballer he likes to play -- and he more than anyone. So he was a bit upset, but he was able to rest and think about things, with his family, and now he is much better."
Messi himself has thanked those fans who have offered their support over social media in recent days, via a Facebook message in Spanish and English .
"Thank you all for your supportive messages," Messi said. "For anyone who loves football, the hardest thing is not to be on the pitch. Now it's time to recover properly to come back. A big hug."
Muchas gracias a todos por los mensajes de apoyo. Para cualquiera que ama el fútbol, lo más difícil es no poder jugar....
Posted by Leo Messi on Monday, 28 September 2015
Barca's first game without their No. 10 will be Tuesday's Champions League Group E clash at home to Bayer Leverkusen -- against whom Messi scored five times when the teams met at the Camp Nou in the 2012 round-of-16 second leg.
Blaugrana midfielder Ivan Rakitic told a news conference ahead of Tuesday night's game that playing without their on-pitch leader would be an extra motivating factor for the rest of Barca's players.
"Of course it will affect us" Rakitic said. "But it also motivates us. We want to win these games for him, to cheer him up and boost him to recover as soon as possible.
"A new door has opened and we have to group together to take on this new challenge. Leo is very important to us, he alone can change so many things, but we know what we have to do and although it hurts to have lost the best player in the world, the team is still feeling very, very confident."
The Croatia international said Barca's style of play would not change without Messi, and he was expecting a tough game against Bundesliga side Leverkusen.
"The idea will not change," Rakitic said. "We have players that can continue to do the same job. We have a tight-knit squad and we'll all be putting in 100 percent. Bayer Leverkusen are a very strong team. They are physically tough and play top quality football. It's the second game of the group stage and we want to win to send a message out to the people that we're here. It'll be a very difficult game and we'll have to perform well in every aspect."