Injury rules Messi out of Barca friendly

Lionel Messi has been ruled out of Barcelona's opening pre-season friendly against Hamburg through injury, the La Liga club have announced.

The Argentina international, who last season netted 73 goals in competitions for Barca as he became the club's all-time record scorer, has suffered a calf strain and was not part of the 21-man squad that travelled to Germany for Tuesday's friendly.

Barca's medical staff say that Messi's availability for upcoming matches depends on how he responds to treatment.

Tito Vilanova's side are due to face Raja Casablanca in a friendly in Morocco on Saturday before taking on Espanyol in the Catalan Supercup next Tuesday. They then play friendlies against big-spending Paris St Germain and Manchester United on August 4 and 8, respectively.