Marseille and Argentina defender Leonardo Balerdi out of World Cup | OneFootball

Olympique de Marseille and Argentina defender Leonardo Balerdi (27) is out of the upcoming FIFA World Cup. 

Balerdi, who began the season as Marseille captain, has 11 caps for his national team. He headed to North America looking to help Argentina retain their world champion title. However, he will not get the chance to do so.

The centre-back, who has 11 caps for his national team, was injured during a training session ahead of a friendly against Honduras, a warm-up game for the World Cup, which starts on Thursday. Balerdi sustained an injury to his right calf. It is an injury that forced him to withdraw from the training session and then, later on, from the World Cup altogether. 

It had been hoped that, with an initial diagnosis of an absence of between two and three weeks, the defender could return during the tournament. Ultimately, his withdrawal from the squad was, however, later confirmed. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle