Messi gears up for Argentina’s return for a potential career final CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier in March
As reported by TyC Sport journalist Gaston Edul, Lionel Messi will return to the Argentina national team during the FIFA international break in March.
Messi had been rested for the previous international break at the end of January after a match with COVID-19, as Argentina had secured a place in the 2022 World Cup. Without Messi, Argentina would have had a winning duo way away. 1 goal difference against Chile and Colombia thanks to the excellent performances of Angel Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez.
In the final match of the World Cup qualifiers in South America, Argentina will meet Venezuela and Ecuador at the end of March. Argentina is second in the group, four points behind Brazil but 10 points behind third-placed Ecuador, which secured a place in the World Cup a few months ago.
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Volvo Leo:
Recuperacion y Defción excelente.
Messi and a jugar con la Selección Argentina en marzo.– Gaston Edul (@gastonedul) February 6, 2022
The matches could potentially represent Messi’s final World Cup qualifier in an Argentina shirt if he chooses to leave the match at any point between the end of the 2022 World Cup and the beginning of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Argentina’s all-time net, who will turn 39 in the summer of the 2026 World Cup, gave no hint as to when he might decide to hang up his boots.
Argentina’s Road to the 2022 World Cup
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni will use March’s matches as one of his last opportunities to adjust his squad ahead of this winter’s FIFA World Cup. He’s made Messi a priority to rest lately, but has brought in nearly all of the other much-anticipated Argentine players for the upcoming Big Dance.
Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez were brought in and performed well in January, and Giovani Lo Celso was also a standout performer, despite his struggles at former club Tottenham, which led to a move to Spain in winter. Nicolas Otamendi and Lisandro Martinez are a formidable duo at the back, and Nicolas Tagliafico is in superb form for both the national team and his club Ajax.
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The break also seems to help revive 34-year-old Messi, who ended a six-match scoring drought in Ligue 1 with a goal and assist against Lille over the weekend. He was the central figure of the game, second among all players with 90 touches, behind only Marco Verratti.
With Messi’s arrival, Scaloni will be able to send the team sprinting into the World Cup. Argentina stands at +1000 to win the World Cup on DraftKings, sixth best odds in the field. All five teams before them – Brazil, France, England, Germany and Spain – have also qualified for the World Cup.
