After a seven-month hiatus from international duty, Argentina captain Lionel Messi rejoined his national squad for training on Monday, in preparation for their upcoming Conmebol World Cup qualifying matches against Chile and Colombia.
Messi, 37, last represented the reigning World Cup champions in November 2024.
A muscle injury subsequently sidelined him from the March doubleheader, a period during which Lionel Scaloni’s team successfully secured their qualification for the next World Cup.
Messi arrived at the training complex named in his honor outside Buenos Aires for his first practice with the ‘Albiceleste’ in an extraordinary run of form with Inter Miami CF.
On Monday, he was named the MLS Player of the Week for second time in a row, after his involvement in all five of Miami’s goals during their 5-1 victory over Columbus Crew last Saturday.
Argentina, currently leading the Conmebol standings with 31 points, is set to face Chile away on Thursday before hosting Colombia at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
The current squad features three additions alongside Messi’s return, all making their Argentina debuts.
Defenders Kevin Lomónaco (Independiente) and Mariano Troilo (Belgrano), and 17-year-old forward Franco Mastantuono from River Plate, who has already garnered significant interest from prominent European clubs, received their first call-up for the national team.
Scaloni faces some key decisions on his starting lineup due to numerous key players being sidelined by injuries and suspensions.
Benfica defender Nicolás Otamendi is suspended and the potential replacements to partner with Tottenham’s Cristian Romero in the center of the defense include Olympique Marseille’s Leonardo Balerdi and Lens’ Facundo Medina.
Furthermore, Argentina’s midfield will see substantial changes with Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister sidelined with an injury, while Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández and AS Roma’s Leandro Paredes are suspended for one match due to accumulated yellow cards.
Inter Milan striker Lautaro MartÃnez is expected to join the national team on Wednesday, following his club’s 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final last Saturday. He’s not expected to be available for Thursday’s match.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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