Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has been named in Argentina’s squad for World Cup qualifiers less than two months after announcing his retirement from international football.
The 29-year-old made his shock decision to quit following Argentina’s Copa America final defeat to Chile in June.
Argentina, who are priced at 8.00 to win the 2018 World Cup, have made it to the final in their last three major competition appearances, losing twice to Chile in the Copa America, while Germany proved too strong at the 2014 World Cup.
The one-club man struggled to work his magic in the most recent clash with Chile and missed his chance to net in the penalty shootout.
Messi made a statement following that match in the USA after claiming he was frustrated by a lack of organisation from the Argentinean FA.
However, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has backtracked on his original decision and has been named in the squad for 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezuela at the beginning of September.
Messi said: “A lot of things went through my mind on the night of the final and I gave serious thought to quitting, but my love for my country and this shirt is too great.
“We need to fix many things in Argentinian football, but I prefer to do this from inside and not criticise from outside.”
Argentina have made some changes at the top since the last major tournament with Edgardo Bauza coming in to replace Gerardo Martino.
Reports claim that Bauza’s appointment played a key role in convincing Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer to come out of retirement.
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