The big question for Argentina fans has been whether or not Lionel Messi will be facing Puerto Rico after missing the recent friendly win over Venezuela—and judging by comments from manager Lionel Scaloni, it looks like the answer is yes.
Messi has shown few signs of slowing down during the twilight of his staggering career. The culmination of his majesty manifested in Qatar at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as he inspired Argentina to their first triumph for 36 years off the back of an outstanding individual campaign.
With no more lands to conquer, there was a sense that Messi could bow out on the highest of highs, but the 38-year-old instead looks poised to lead his country out in North America next summer—20 years after making his World Cup bow in Germany.
While Lionel Scaloni’s side have proven they can win handsomely in the absence of the greatest ever, Messi remains the pivot in Argentina’s XI that all things good revolve around when he takes to the field. He’s been in superb form for Inter Miami in MLS, and continues to function as the heartbeat of the Albiceleste.
After he missed the 1–0 victory over Venezuela, many have questioned whether the 38-year-old will feature against Puerto Rico on Tuesday, and all signs point towards him being good to go.
What is Lionel Messi’s Status for Argentina vs. Puerto Rico?
While Messi nursed a muscle injury that saw him miss four games in August, the Argentine’s recent absence from the national team wasn’t injury-related. Instead, he was involved in Inter Miami’s MLS clash against Atlanta United on Saturday.
Messi scored twice in a 4–0 victory for the Herons, who sit third in the Eastern Conference with the start of the MLS Cup playoffs on the horizon.
There had been some doubts whether he’d subsequently feature for Argentina on Tuesday night, with Messi watching on alongside his wife and children at the Hard Rock Stadium on Friday. However, Scaloni has suggested that his captain is back in contention for the Puerto Rico friendly.
“I saw Messi play on Saturday. From what I know, he finished well. I haven’t spoken to him yet,” Argentina’s manager told reporters on Monday.
“Now we have the last training session for tomorrow's match, and as we always do before preparing for the final training, I’ll talk to him, and if he's in condition, he’ll play tomorrow.”
Messi’s presence in the friendly has been made more likely by Argentina rescheduling the game from Oct. 13 in Chicago to Oct. 14 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Still, Scaloni will be keen to experiment with his squad further against lowly opposition, so seeing the great playmaker for 90 minutes seems unlikely.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Is Lionel Messi Going to Play for Argentina vs. Puerto Rico?.
