Barcelona idol Messi to be out for only 10 days

Spanish football champions Barcelona announced on Monday that star striker Lionel Messi will be out of action for only around 10 days.

It was feared that the Argentine forward might have suffered a broken right ankle after an ugly foul by Atletico Madrid defender Tomas Ujfalusi at the end of Sunday's league match, DPA reported.

Ujfalusi was red-carded and Barca held out for a 2-1 win, but left Madrid worried about their injured idol who was stretchered off.

However, extensive tests on Monday revealed that Messi does not have any broken bones or torn ligaments.

According to the official report of the Barca doctors, published on the club's website, he has sprained the internal and external lateral ligaments in his right ankle, and will be out of action for around 10 days.

Messi will miss Wednesday's league match at home to Sporting Gijon and Saturday's away to Athletic Bilbao. However, he might be fit for Barca's Champions League clash away to Rubin Kazan on September 29.

Messi, 23, has so far scored four goals this season, two in La Liga - including the first against Atletico on Sunday - and two in last week's 5-1 Champions League destruction of Panathinaikos.