The Barcelona forward, who missed in a heartbreaking penalty shootout, was devastated after his country tasted defeat in a major final for the fourth time in nine years.
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However, in a statement on Friday, Messi explained that he wanted to continue representing his country as he preferred “to help from within”.
“I see that there are a lot of problems in Argentina football and I don’t want to create more”, Messi said.
Messi has made a decision to look past the problems with the Argentina Football Association and mentioned he would rather be on the inside trying to fix them than on the outside criticizing them.
As well as losing two Copa America finals on penalties to Chile, he was in the Argentina side beaten 1-0 by Germany in the 2014 World Cup final.
The Argentina coach said he optimistic about Messi making himself available and that the player seemed to be “very enthusiastic”.
Lionel Messi of Argentina jumps to control the ball during the 2015 Copa America Chile Semi Final match between Argentina and Paraguay, Concepcion, Chile, June 30, 2015.
With the state of the sport in Argentina though, Messi and a handful of other Argentinian players contemplated stepping away until things were put in proper order from a governing standpoint with FIFA’s approval.
“I seriously thought about leaving, but my love for Argentina and this jersey forced me to return”.
“I don’t want to cause any damage, I’ve always tried to do just the opposite, to help all that I can”.
Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza says he believes Lionel Messi has the desire to return to global football. “But I love my shirt and my country too much”, he added.
Carlos Tevez and Paulo Dybala were left out of Argentina’s squad for the Copa America, but Bauza refused to rule anyone out of contention for the vital World Cup games.
“I hope that we’ll be able to give them something to cheer about soon”, he said.
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Messi’s camp has not confirmed any report of his return to the NT but there are confirmed reports of the meeting between Messi and Bauza, who is reportedly set to announce the 23-man squad for matches against Uruguay and Venezuela in September.
