Football superstar Lionel Messi of Barcelona is already back to training on Wednesday after being sidelined for three weeks due to a recurring groin injury.

Messi aggravated his groin strain during a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou on Sep. 21. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was taken out of the pitch in the 59th minute after getting in an awkward collision with Atleti defender Diego Godin.

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"To lose Messi means that football loses," Barca head coach Luis Enrique said after the match. "With Messi we are stronger, but we will continue being strong."

Barcelona won two of their three games without Messi, with the last one a disappointing 3-4 loss to lowly club Celta Vigo in La Liga.

Enrique is not expected to utilize Messi against Deportivo La Coruna this weekend, however, as a precautionary measure and to let his injury heal completely.

French defender Samuel Umtiti, who is still recuperating from a knee injury, was also back in training on Wednesday despite not yet being 100 percent ready, SkySports reported.

With the two players' return, Barcelona issued an official statement saying "Both Leo Messi and Samuel Umtiti, despite neither yet being declared fit for selection as they battle to recover from injury, were able to join the rest of the team for the workout".

Meanwhile, Messi's fellow superstar teammate, Neymar, said the Argentinian is already "perfect," but it will all depend on Enrique whether he will appear against Deportivo this Saturday.

"Leo is okay, he's perfect (in terms of fitness)," said the Brazil national team captain, via ESPN. "Whether all three of us play (Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suárez) against Deportivo depends on the manager."

"We know we are making history and together we're stronger," Neymar added. "The magic of the trident is the friendship. We are friends on and off the pitch. We help each other." 

There are rumors that Neymar may be the only one available among Enrique's Big Three on Saturday, though, as Suárez just got back from international duty on Thursday. Suárez suited up for Uruguay during last week's World Cup qualifiers.

TagsFootball News & Rumors, Football News & Rumors 2016, lionel messi, FC Barcelona, Samuel Umtiti