SoccerBy Dan Levy on

Lionel Messi, the best player on the planet in any sport when not injured, is injured, again. Messi will miss the semifinal leg of the FIFA Club World Cup with what Barcelona are calling renal colic.

For those unfamiliar with the term, renal colic is a fancy medical term for kidney stones. Yes, there are other causes, but most commonly speaking, renal colic manifests with small crystals building up in your kidneys, causing a ureteral obstruction.

The ailment can be extremely painful and can be often treated with hydration, pain management and certain medicines depending on the size and specific make-up of the blockage.

Mostly, if small enough, the stones will have to be passed. It’s a good thing Messi and his Barcelona teammates know a thing or two (or 30) about passing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if-sWv7bKsg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG9RA7tW7_4

Barcelona play Asian champion Guangzhou Evergrande FC in Yokohama, Japan in the semifinals, with the winner facing River Plate in the final on Sunday.

Barcelona don’t seem too concerned with Messi’s absence, as Neymar is also out of the starting lineup for Thursday’s match. Still, a rather stacked lineup for the match.

UPDATE: Barca won. Easily. Suarez.

About Dan Levy

Dan Levy has written a lot of words in a lot of places, most recently as the National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. He was host of The Morning B/Reakaway on Sirius XM's Bleacher Report Radio for the past year, and previously worked at Sporting News and Rutgers University, with a concentration on sports, media and public relations.

View all posts by Dan Levy