Messi joined the Argentina team at a hotel in Miami (USA) on October 7, preparing for the match against Venezuela at 4:00 a.m. on October 11 away in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America.
This is the first time Messi has returned to the national team since being injured in the Copa America final in mid-July. He missed two matches in September, when Argentina beat Chile 3-0 and lost 1-2 to Colombia.
The 37-year-old has only recently returned to play for Inter Miami for a total of 6 matches, 4 of which he played the full 90 minutes, and 2 of which he came off the bench from the 61st minute. Messi immediately showed impressive form, scoring 5 goals and providing 1 assist in these matches, including a direct free kick goal (in the 3-2 win over Columbus Crew).
However, in terms of physical and fitness, Messi is not yet at 100% as expected, according to Inter Miami coach Tata Martino. “Messi needs to accumulate more playing time. Through that, he will gradually reach his best level of perfection,” the coach said.
Returning to the Argentina team, Messi is expected to have his playing time adjusted appropriately by coach Scaloni, because the two opponents Albiceleste will face are not really strong, except for the Venezuelan team and Bolivia (to be met at 7am on October 16, at home).
However, on October 8, the Argentina team, which had just gathered in full, received more bad news when striker Alejandro Garnacho withdrew due to injury. Previously, Nicolas Gonzalez and Paulo Dybala were also absent for the same reason.
Therefore, coach Scaloni will have to recalculate the attack force, with the possibility of letting Messi play both matches alongside Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez. Because the remaining two strikers are too young, Valentin Carboni (19 years old) and rookie Nico Paz (20 years old).
In addition to the lack of key players in the attack, Argentina’s defense also lacked number 1 goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez due to a FIFA penalty, and center back Cristian Romero was suspended for the match against Venezuela due to accumulating enough yellow cards. Coach Scaloni called up new players such as Facundo Buonanotte and Julio Soler to replace him.
On his personal Instagram account, Messi may have confirmed that he will play the full two matches with the Argentine national team, when he turned on “team mode” to prepare for the matches against Venezuela and then Bolivia at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. Thereby, also to reunite with his home fans since the 2024 Copa America championship.
