Barcelona forward Lionel Messi said he feels ‘great’ after returning to training following a long injury layoff. The reigning Ballon d’Or winner has been missing from the Spanish champions since November 10 after picking up a hamstring tear.

But the Argentina international was back to his best on the training ground, scoring a hat-trick in a practice match. “It is a great joy to be back working with my team-mates,” the 26-year-old Argentina international wrote on social networking sites Tencent Weibo and WeChat. “I feel great.”

The practice outing has lifted hopes the 26-year-old could make a competitive comeback when Barcelona host Elche in La Liga on Sunday.

-Espn

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