- Lionel Messi will not be part of Argentina's national team roster for the forthcoming international matches in March.
- Argentina won't have their key player available for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay.
- InterMiami has announced that the 37-year-old player suffered a minor muscle strain after recent medical assessments.
Argentina's team list for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay does not include Lionel Messi, as revealed in the last update released on Monday.
The ex-Barcelona forward scored an impressive goal as Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 2-1 in the MLS on Sunday.
Argentina, who lead the CONMEBOL qualifiers with 25 points after playing 12 matches, are set to go up against Uruguay, who sit in second place, on Friday.
On March 25th, Argentina will welcome Brazil, which will have to play without forward Neymar. Neymar, anticipated to make his comeback to the national squad after more than a year, has now been sidelined due to a muscle injury.
Why did they remove Messi from Argentina’s team?
Fabrizio Romano states that Messi is not part of Argentina's team because he has a slight muscle strain.
After Inter Miami defeated Atlanta United, with him scoring a goal but feeling some discomfort, tests showed a minor muscle strain in his inner thigh region.
Consequently, Messi will stay in the United States for his recovery and won’t take part in these qualifiers.
Leo Messi underwent an examination this morning following the match against Atlanta United yesterday. The test revealed a minor muscle strain in his adductor region, which means he will not be able to participate in games for Argentina.
The Argentina provisional squad
The team from Argentina for the next round of World Cup qualifying matches includes both well-known veterans and rising newcomers.
For the goalkeeper position, Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa, Gerónimo Rulli from Olympique de Marseille, and Walter Benítez from PSV Eindhoven are listed.
The defense comprises Nahuel Molina from Atletico Madrid, Gonzalo Montiel of River Plate, Nicolas Otamendi at Benfica, along with several others.
In the middle of the park, crucial players include Leandro Paredes from Roma, Enzo Fernández at Chelsea, and Rodrigo de Paul with Atletico Madrid.
In the attack, Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Julián Álvarez (Manchester City), and Ángel Correa (Atletico Madrid) lead the charge.
Several young talents such as Nicolás Paz (Como) and Claudio Echeverri (Manchester City) have been brought into the squad, providing new possibilities for the team.
What next for Messi?
Argentina will play against Uruguay and Brazil in their World Cup qualifier fixtures without their key player Messi.
In the meantime, Inter Miami gets a break during Matchday 5 and will be back in action on March 29 for their game against the Philadelphia Union in the MLS.
Paredes clarifies the reason behind Messi cutting off contact for three months.
CDRNEWS.co.ke Earlier, we covered Leandro Paredes' tale, detailing why Messi chose not to speak with him for three months.
In a UEFA Champions League game involving Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, Paredes made some remarks to his fellow players, which inadvertently caught Messi's attention.
Mistakenly believing the comment was directed at him, Messi felt some strain develop between himself and the other player.