Despite being on the injured list at his club Inter Miami, Argentina has summoned up Lionel Messi for their next South American World Cup qualifiers.
Messi called up for Argentina: Messi, who has played just 37 minutes for the team since September 3, missed Inter’s 4-1 loss to Chicago on Wednesday due to his ongoing fitness issues.
On October 12, Argentina will host Paraguay before travelling to play Peru five days later in CONMEBOL World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
Little information has been provided on the 36-year-old’s physical condition despite the fact that he has missed Inter’s previous three games and five of their last six.
According to Miami’s Argentine coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, Messi had “scars” from a previous injury, which he first described as “muscle fatigue.”
Messi, the captain of Argentina’s World Cup-winning squad in Qatar last year, participated in and scored in his nation’s 1-0 victory over Ecuador on September 7 in Buenos Aires.
In the waning moments of that game, he requested to be replaced. He consequently missed the match against Bolivia in La Paz five days later, watching his teammates play from the sidelines.
Miami has lost their last three games without Messi, and their attempt to make the MLS playoffs has failed.
“Key Highlights: Messi’s Impact, Martino’s Update, and New Additions to the National Team Roster”
On Wednesday, 62,124 people attended the game in Chicago at Soldier Field, the stadium where the NFL’s Chicago Bears play, in the hopes of witnessing the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
When asked about Messi’s health following the game in light of Saturday’s match against Cincinnati, Martino replied that he was getting better.
“I believe he will soon resume playing. He continued, “We said, ‘We’ll evaluate him,’ to see if he’s in condition (to play).
“The most crucial thing is that he’s moving past his ailment and gradually finding his best form… Before the following game, we’ll see what works best, he continued.
Winger Facundo Farias, 21, a teammate of Messi’s from Miami, has received his first call-up to the national team roster.
Alejandro Garnacho, a winger for Manchester United, is also on Lionel Scaloni’s roster for the forthcoming qualifiers.