Messi arrives in Argentina for friendlies before the World Cup | OneFootball

The captain landed and immediately headed to the AFA training grounds to join Lionel Scaloni and company in their work. The first training session will be this afternoon at 5 p.m. Ahead lie the final tests before the World Cup.

The Argentina national team already has its most important star back in the country. Lionel Messi landed this Tuesday at 6:48 a.m. at Ezeiza Airport on a flight from Florida and immediately made his way to the AFA complex in Ezeiza that bears his name to join Lionel Scaloni’s squad. The captain arrives in good physical shape: he played the full 90 minutes in Inter Miami’s 3-2 win over New York City, scored a brilliant free-kick goal, and finished the match without any discomfort. This afternoon, starting at 5 p.m., he will have his first closed-door training session with the squad.

The Rosario star’s presence in Buenos Aires comes during a FIFA window that was completely reshaped. After the cancellation of the Finalissima against Spain in Lusail due to the conflicts in the Middle East, and the regulatory impossibility of facing Guatemala, the AFA arranged a two-match set against two African national teams: Mauritania and Zambia. Both matches will be played at La Bombonera, the venue chosen so Argentine fans can bid farewell to the world champions before the start of the 2026 World Cup.

Messi’s return to Argentina always generates excitement, but this time it has a special twist: the match against Zambia on March 31 could be the last one he plays on Argentine soil before the start of the World Cup. A farewell no one wants to miss, and one that a packed Boca stadium will try to etch into the collective memory.

After getting off the plane, La Pulga headed straight to the headquarters of Argentine football to rest and recover from the trip. The reunion with his Scaloneta teammates will be this afternoon, when the squad completes its first training session of the week. Scaloni now has all of his call-ups available with the arrival of the captain, Julián Álvarez, Nahuel Molina, Juan Musso, Gerónimo Rulli, and Valentín Barco, who were the last to arrive, and the group is now focused on the final two tune-ups before the most important event of the year.

Two home matches, with Messi back in Argentina and the World Cup less than three months away. The best possible scenario for the Argentina national team to fine-tune the final details before going out to defend the title.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.