Lionel Messi has announced that he will play for Argentina once again, having stated in June that he would retire from global football.
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“But I love my shirt and my country too much”, ESPN quoted Messi saying in the statement.
The Barcelona midfielder announced immediately after his country’s penalty shootout loss to Chile in the Copa America final in June that he was calling time on his Argentina career to an end.
“I see that there are many problems in Argentine football and don’t intend to create one more”.
‘We need to fix many things in Argentinian football, but I prefer to do this from inside and not criticise from outside’.
Following talks with new Argentina coach, Edgardo Bauza, Messi’s name was included in the squad to face Uruguay and Venezuela next month.
Bauza, who replaced Gerardo Martino after he quit in July over the FA’s failure to prepare a strong under-23 team for the Rio Olympics, was in Barcelona on Thursday for a meeting with his team captain.
The Barcelona star had announced he would no longer be available for the South American nation after a disappointing campaign in this year’s Copa America, stating that after four finals – three Copa Americas and one World Cup – the 29-year-old had done all he could to win a major trophy with is nation.
Messi’s decision in June sparked demonstrations in Buenos Aires and calls for him to change his mind.
‘I’m grateful to all the people who wanted me to continue playing with Argentina, hopefully we can give them something to cheer about soon’. However, Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain is not named, with club team-mate Paulo Dybala, Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, Atletico Madrid’s Angel Correa, Atletico Mineiro’s Lucas Pratto and River Plate’s Lucas Alario the forwards joining Messi in the squad.
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Argentina play qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezeula at the beginning of September. Many of Messi’s worldwide teammates like Angel Di Maria and Sergio Aguero had also expressed their desire to retire from the national team following their differences with the board.
