Messi's back with the ball at his feet once again

Lionel Messi is continuing with his recovery process and this week has taken a huge step forward. He has now entered the third phase of his recuperation and on Monday was able to touch the ball and run. 

Luis Garcia, the Argentine physiotherapist, and Marcelo D’Andrea, a masseuse, were the two people with Messi this week as he took things up a level at his home. 

Now, Messi will train at the Ciutat Esportiva every day. Both the player himself and the medical teams of Barcelona and Argentina are satisfied with the response of his knee so far — remember he damaged ligaments in the win over Las Palmas. 

However, although he is on the right path, nobody wants to force the star’s recovery and he will only return to action under Luis Enrique when he is 100 percent. No risks will be taken. 

Barça believe this is key as they want Messi to be injury-free for the rest of the season and for him not to suffer a relapse. If that happened, he could miss many more matches. 

Players like Neymar and Luis Suarez have performed in the absence of Messi and, ahead of the Clasico, Barcelona have managed to build a three point lead over Real Madrid. They will go to the Santiago Bernabeu as La Liga’s leaders.