Why is Lionel Messi not playing in the friendlies against Guatemala and Colombia?

Some sources have also revealed that the Albiceleste legend might not be available for national fixtures for the rest of the year.

Many of us might still be thinking that why is Lionel Messi taking his kids to school, while his national team are in USA, training ahead of their friendly fixture against Guatemala on 8th September 2018.

 

 

 

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A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi) on Sep 6, 2018 at 1:17am PDT

Well, he has not been included in the national team roster for tomorrow's fixture and against Colombia on 12th September. It could be due to a variety of reasons. He might have opted out for some family time, or he is still unsure about his future with the Latin American team, or interim manager Luca Scaloni is building a squad for the future. The Barcelona talisman is already 31-years old, and the next World Cup is in 2022. By then, his age could take away his spark which has awed us all since his debut. There are a lot of youngsters eyeing for a starting spot in the La Albiceleste setup like 24-year old Paulo Dybala.

 

 

 

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A post shared by Selección Argentina (@afaseleccion) on Sep 6, 2018 at 11:23am PDT

Scaloni said, "I think it's clear, we spoke with him and we'll see on the next list if he comes back or not. I'm sure we'll see what happens in the future." Meanwhile, some sources have also alleged that Messi won't be available for international duty for the entire year.

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After Argentina's disappointing World Cup campaign in Russia, a lot of criticism was thrown at the Albiceleste skipper. He has already retired once in 2016 after the Copa America loss against Chile, citing poor organisation within the national FA. Although he has not announced his retirement yet, it is natural for Leo to be concentrating more on his marvellous club career, as age would make it hard for him to replicate his natural flair in international fixtures.

Issues within the dressing room created a lot of problems in Russia earlier this year with Jorge Sampaoli at the helm. It was also reported that Messi and Javier Mascherano had begun to take control of the team after the loss to Croatia, with Sampaoli staying on the touchline for namesake. Messi's footballing days could be numbered now, but Argentina will need their talisman, even in a reduced capacity if they are to move forward into the future.