"Living a dream" - Argentina star shares social media post as he trains alongside Lionel Messi
Argentina star Julio Soler recently shared a social media post alongside Lionel Messi from a recent La Albiceleste training session. The 19-year-old left back currently plays for Argentine Primera División club Lanús and has captained the Argentina U20 team.
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, October 15, Soler shared an image alongside Lionel Messi taken during a recent training session. Both players are seen in the Albiceleste training kit. Soler wrote in the caption (translation from Spanish via Instagram):
"Living a dream."
Leo Messi was included in Argentina's squad for the World Cup qualifiers in October after being excluded for the September qualifiers owing to his ankle injury. The legendary forward picked up his ankle injury during La Albiceleste's 1-0 win over Colombia in the 2024 Copa America final, spending almost two months outside the pitch for his recovery.
Lionel Messi returned to the pitch for his MLS club Inter Miami in September 2024, before returning to international duty in Argentina's 1-1 draw with Venezuela on October 10. La Pulga will next face Bolivia in the World Cup qualifiers on October 15. La Albiceleste are at the top of the table among CONMEBOL nations with 19 points.
Following the October international break, Messi will focus on the MLS play-offs with Inter Miami as he will look to win the MLS Cup and add to his record 46 trophies.
"It doesn't seem real" - When Argentina star Alejandro Garnacho shared his experience on meeting Lionel Messi
Multiple young Argentina players have shared their experience of playing alongside Lionel Messi, who's still considered the face of the team at the twilight of his career. Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho revealed last year that it was surreal for him to play alongside Messi in the national team.
Garnacho shared the pitch with Messi for the first time during an international friendly against Australia in June 2023. It is also his only time playing alongside La Pulga so far. Speaking to the media in Beijing ahead of the friendly, Garnacho shared his experience on meeting Lionel Messi. He said (via 90 min):
"I haven't spoken to Messi much. I've watched him on TV all my life and now he's right here, it's amazing. It doesn't seem real."
In another Instagram post from March 2022, Garnacho shared an image with Lionel Messi while training for the Argentina national team, and wrote:
"Dreams really do come true❤️ Idol…🐐👑 @leomessi"
Garnacho was a part of La Albiceleste's 2024 Copa America squad and thanked Messi via a comment under one of his Instagram posts after winning the title together, writing "Thank you for everything, captain." The youngster is slowly rising to prominence in the national team, especially with the retirement of legends like Angel Di Maria.