Lionel Messi has officially rejoined the Argentina team after missing a training session last March.
Messi returned to the Argentina national team’s training session. (Photo: Getty.)
This is really good news, especially since Argentina fans and coach Lionel Scaloni are looking forward to the path to winning the Copa America in 2024.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has released a list of 29 players who are preparing to play two friendly matches in the United States against Ecuador (on June 10) and Guatemala (on June 14). Following these two matches, coach Lionel Scaloni will select which three players will be removed from the squad in order to fulfil the Copa America 2024 roster.
Among all of these highlights, Messi’s homecoming is the most notable. Due to an injury, Inter Miami’s marquee player was unable to participate in the March training camp. However, he has fully recovered and is ready to contribute to the national team.
In addition to Messi, Argentina’s squad still includes well-known players like as Di Maria, Enzo Fernandez, De Paul, Allister, Otamendi, and Emi Martinez. Messi is the sole player on the roster. Those individuals contributed significantly to Argentina’s World Cup victory in 2022.
Nevertheless, this list includes a lot of significant changes. Despite his excellent performances for Roma, midfielder Paulo Dybala was not selected for the national squad. Instead, coach Scaloni gave opportunities to a number of young players, including Matias Zaracho of Atletico Mineiro and Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.
Argentina will compete in the same group as Peru, Chile, and Canada at the Copa America 2024. On June 21st, they will play their first match against Canada. Furthermore, this is considered Di Maria’s final international competition, however Messi has the chance to appear in the World Cup in 2026 if he remains in peak shape.
Messi is presently playing for Inter Miami and is in terrific form. Since the start of the season, the iconic Barcelona player has appeared in 13 games in all competitions, scoring 12 goals and assisted on 11 more. Argentina has the potential to be a top contender for the Copa America championship in 2024, thanks to Lionel Messi’s recovery and the team’s strong morale following its World Cup victory.
Argentina national team’s call-up list for the latest gathering. (Photo: AFA)