Lionel Messi injured again! Is it the beginning of the end for Barcelona star?

Lionel Messi made his first start this season as FC Barcelona took on Villarreal CF at the Camp Nou. However, as early as the start of the second half, the Argentine talisman was replaced because of a thigh injury. After being injured, Messi was first treated on the side of the pitch. He carried on until half-time, after which he was replaced by Ousmane Dembele.

Messi had just recovered from a calf injury and came back from the bench during Barca's UEFA Champions League away game against Borussia Dortmund. However, he had to wait for the Villarreal encounter to complete his 400th La Liga start. When he came back to Camp Nou, Messi looked a bit hesitant on the pitch. However, he still made a positive impact for the team. His corner helped Antoine Griezmann score the home team's first goal in the 6th minute. Then, Arthur Melo scored the second goal in the 15th minute to extend Barca's lead over Villarreal.

Just before half-time, Villarreal's Santi Cazorla scored one for the away team. This turned out to be the last goal of the match. The second half saw no more goals and Ernesto Valverde's team secured three valuable points.

At the end of the match, Barca managed to climb to the fourth spot on the La Liga points table with 10 points to their name after playing 6 games. They are now one point away from Real Madrid CF's tally, but Los Blancos still have a match in hand.

With Messi ruled out of the football pitch yet again, Valverde's worries are seeing no end. Although the Barca manager said that the Argentine's latest injury is nothing serious and it's a small issue in the player's adductor muscle, he will wait for the doctor's detailed report to arrive. With back to back injuries for the Barca maestro, critics are saying that his age might finally be catching up with him.

According to the BBC, Valverde said, "When something happens to Messi, everyone stops, not only on the field but in the stands as well. As a precaution, we have decided not to risk it. In theory, it is nothing more but we will see tomorrow how it is."