BREAKING: Lionel Messi and Manchester United starboy Alejandro Garnacho get Argentina call up for Asia tour
Lionel Messi and Alejandro Garnacho are among the members of the Argentina squad for La Albiceleste's Asia tour. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winners will play Australia in Beijing and Indonesia in Jakarta during the tour.
While familiar faces like Messi, Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Enzo Fernandez, and more have been called up, Garnacho has earned his call-up as well. Lautaro Martinez has missed out due to an injury, while AS Roma attacker Paulo Dybala is also not in the squad.
Here's Argentina's full squad for the Asia tour:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Ajax Amsterdam), Walter Benitez (PSV Eindhoven).
Defenders: Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique Marseille), Facundo Medina (RC Lens), Nicolas Tagliafico (Olympique Lyon), Marcos Acuna (Sevilla).
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Juventus/PSG), Enzo Fernandes (Chelsea), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Thiago Almada (Atlanta United), Giovanni Lo Celso (Villareal/ Tottenham Hotspur).
Forwards: Lucas Ocampos (Olympique Marseille), Angel Di Maria (Juventus), Lionel Messi (PSG), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Julian Alvarez (Manchester City), Giovanni Semione (AS Napoli), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina).
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni recently spoke about Lionel Messi's future
Lionel Messi's future at the club level is uncertain, as the Argentina captain looks poised to leave PSG at the end of the season as a free agent. Rumors have been percolating about the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner's future.
Clubs like Barcelona and Al-Hilal have been linked with the 35-year-old. Lionel Scaloni recently shared his take on his team's talismanic captain's future.
He said (h/t All About Argentina):
“The issue of his future is handled by him. I hope he’ll be happy; he continues to be happy regardless of the club where he is, that he can be happy on the stadium, which is the important thing."
Scaloni added:
"I don't know if he's going to go back to Spain, if he's going to continue in France or if he's going to go to another league, but wherever he goes, people will enjoy him.
Scaloni will once again rely on Messi to carry La Albiceleste's attack as his team plays Australia and Indonesia during the Asia tour. The games could also be useful for giving younger players more chances.