Lionel Messi has returned home to join the Argentina team

Lionel Messi has returned to Argentina to join the national team in preparation for two friendly matches against Panama and Curacao in the upcoming FIFA Days.

Messi just suffered a bitter 0-2 defeat of Paris Saint Germain (PSG) against Rennes. This is PSG’s 7th loss in Ligue 1 this year, although they still hold their position at the top of the table. Not only saddened by the loss, El Pulga was also frustrated with the home fans’ booing and criticism.

After the match, Messi headed straight to the tunnel without staying to thank the fans. PSG fans blamed Messi for the Champions League loss and believed that his contributions were not worth the salary he was receiving.

Interestingly, Messi was the best player on the field against Rennes. The World Cup 2022 champion dropped back deep to support the midfield and created 5 opportunities, but no teammate was able to capitalize on them. It is highly likely that Messi will leave PSG in June when both parties are not enthusiastic about renewing the contract.

Lionel Messi quickly left Paris on his private jet to join his teammates in the national team. Messi also posted a picture with his teammates including Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Paulo Dybala, Angel Di Maria, Lo Celso, and Nicolas Otamendi.

Before Messi, Emiliano Martínez and Emiliano Buendía were the earliest to join the team. This duo flew straight from England after Aston Villa’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth.

Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea) and Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon) also arrived, followed by Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica) and Rodrigo De Paul (Atlético de Madrid). A few hours after the Premier League players arrived, the rest were also called up.

In this call-up, except for Alejandro Papu Gomez (Sevilla) who suffered a last-minute injury, all the players who won the World Cup 2022 were called up. Coach Lionel Scaloni also recalled Lo Celso (Villarreal), who unfortunately missed the Qatar tournament due to injury.

The Argentine national team will face Panama on March 23 in Buenos Aires before playing against Curacao on March 28 in Santiago del Estero (a city in northern Argentina). The match against Panama will receive a lot of attention as the Argentine Football Association (AFA) will organize a ceremony to commemorate the World Cup championship and all 83,000 tickets have been sold out in just over two hours.

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