Lionel Messi has officially returned to the Argentina team after being absent from the training session last March.
Messi returned during the Argentina national team’s training session. (Photo: Getty)
In light of the fact that Argentina fans and coach Lionel Scaloni are looking forward to the path to conquer the Copa America in 2024, this is extremely encouraging news.
The list of 29 players who are getting ready to play in two friendly matches in the United States against Ecuador (on June 10) and Guatemala (on June 14) has been publicly disclosed by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). After these two matches, coach Lionel Scaloni will decide which three players will be eliminated from the squad in order to complete the roster for the Copa America 2024 competition.
Among all of these highlights, Messi’s homecoming stands out as the most noteworthy. Due to an injury, the superstar player for Inter Miami was unable to participate in the training camp that took place in March. However, he has now fully recovered and is prepared to make a contribution to the national team.
In addition to Messi, Argentina’s roster still includes well-known players like Di Maria, Enzo Fernandez, De Paul, Allister, Otamendi, and Emi Martinez. Messi is the only player on the roster. Those individuals were the ones who made significant contributions to Argentina’s success in winning the World Cup in 2022.
Nevertheless, this list encompasses a number of noteworthy alterations. In spite of his great play for Roma, Paulo Dybala, a midfielder, was not selected for the national team. Instead, coach Scaloni provided opportunities to a number of young players, including Matias Zaracho of Atletico Mineiro and Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United.
During the Copa America 2024, Argentina will be competing alongside Peru, Chile, and Canada in the same group. On the 21st of June, they will play their first match, which will be against Canada. Furthermore, this is considered to be Di Maria’s final international competition, although Messi has the potential to still compete in the World Cup in 2026 provided that he continues to be in high condition.
Messi is currently playing for Inter Miami, where he is in excellent form. Since the beginning of the season, the legendary player for Barcelona has played in 13 matches across all competitions, scoring 12 goals and assisting on 11 others. Argentina has the potential to be one of the leading contenders for the Copa America championship in 2024, thanks to the comeback of Lionel Messi and the high morale that the team has experienced after winning the World Cup.
Argentina national team’s call-up list for the latest gathering. (Photo: AFA)