Messi returns to Argentina national team

The 29-year-old striker has reversed his decision to retire from international football, after discussions with new national team coach Edgardo Bauza.

Lionel Messi suddenly announced his retirement from the national team after the defeat in the 2016 Copa America final.

But new head coach Edgardo Bauza recently said he will go directly to Barcelona to convince Messi to return as captain. And he has officially decided to continue his international career.

The efforts of new coach Bauza, who went to Barcelona to meet Messi and Barca directly to convince the Argentine superstar to return, have yielded the desired results.

“I see many problems with Argentine football, and I don't want to create another problem,” Messi explained in a statement on Friday, August 12.

“I don’t want to cause any harm to the team,” he continued. “I always try to contribute to the team wherever I can.”

“We need to fix a lot of things in the Argentine football system. But I want to contribute to doing that from within, and I will not stand outside to criticize,” Messi added.

Messi wants to contribute to the progress of Argentine football by withdrawing his decision to end his international career to return to the national team. Photo: Reuters.

The captain also confirmed that it was his love of Argentine football that convinced him to return to take part in the World Cup qualifying campaign.

“A lot of things went through my mind on that sad day of the Copa 2016 final, and I seriously thought about retiring. But I love my country and the national team shirt very much. I thank everyone who wanted me to continue playing for Argentina. I hope we can bring them the joy of victory soon,” Messi emphasized.

With the decision to return, Messi was immediately named in the Argentina squad to prepare for the next two matches. Those are the matches against Uruguay on September 6 and Venezuela on September 11.

According to VNE