Argentina’s legendary captain, Lionel Messi, will be sidelined for the upcoming South American World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia due to an ankle injury. The Argentine Football Association announced the 28-man squad on Monday, which notably did not include the 37-year-old superstar.
Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami, sustained the injury during the Copa America final in the United States last month. He is currently undergoing recovery at his club and will be unavailable for the crucial qualifying matches.
In addition to Messi’s absence, the squad is also without goalkeeper Franco Armani from River Plate and striker Angel Di Maria. Di Maria recently announced his retirement from the national team following the conclusion of the Copa America.
Despite these significant absences, coach Lionel Scaloni has injected fresh blood into the team. He has included two new players: midfielder Ezequiel Fernandez and striker Valentin Castellanos. Furthermore, Scaloni has called up several promising young players with limited international experience, such as Alejandro Garnacho, Valentin Carboni, Valentin Barco, and Matias Soule. These youngsters will have the opportunity to prove themselves on the international stage.
Argentina will face Chile on September 5 at the iconic Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. Following that match, they will travel to Barranquilla to take on Colombia five days later.
Here is the full squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers:
Goalkeepers:
* Walter Benitez (PSV Eindhoven)
* Geronimo Rulli (Olympique de Marseille)
* Juan Musso (Atalanta)
* Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
Defenders:
* Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla)
* Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid)
* Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)
* German Pezzella (River Plate)
* Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique Marseille)
* Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica)
* Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United)
* Nicolas Tagliafico (Olympique Lyonnais)
* Valentin Barco (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Midfielders:
* Guido Rodriguez (West Ham United)
* Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
* Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)
* Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur)
* Ezequiel Fernandez (Al Duhail)
* Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid)
* Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina)
* Leandro Paredes (AS Roma)
Forwards:
* Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United)
* Matias Soule (AS Roma)
* Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid)
* Valentin Carboni (Olympique Marseille)
* Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid)
* Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
* Valentin Castellanos (Lazio)
