"Missing the important ingredient", "He'd be back stronger" - Fans react as Lionel Messi is omitted from Argentina's squad for World Cup qualifier
Lionel Messi has been left out of Argentina's squad for the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Chile in September.
The Argentine has been out of the pitch since picking up an ankle injury during the 2024 Copa America final in July.
La Albiceleste is set to face Chile in Buenos Aires on September 5 and Colombia on September 10 in Bogota. They currently stand first in the CONMEBOL qualifiers with 15 points from six games.
Shortly after Lionel Scaloni announced the Argentina squad for the September qualifiers, fans took to X to react to Lionel Messi's exclusion from the team.
Here are some of the reactions:
"Missing the important ingredient," a fan posted.
"He should rest. The boys will handle themselves just fine. He'd be back stronger," another fan wrote.
"Heart breaking 💔💔," a user shared.
"He needs to protect himself from injuries," an individual commented.
"Messi not in the Argentina squad. I am not ready for this. Someone take me back to 2022 :"")," a fan added.
While many fans were upset with Messi's inevitable exclusion due to injuries, others opined that the Argentine should consider retiring since he has become prone to injuries.
"It's time to move on bro," an X user wrote.
"Dude should just retire already. He has miss so many games this year than he has played. he comes back from an injury plays for a few games, and then reinjured himself again and is gone again for a few weeks," a fan observed.
"Messi’s body is finished, he should just retire," an individual added.
In Leo Messi's absence and Angel Di Maria's recent retirement from international football, Lionel Scaloni will have to depend on his remaining attackers. A possible La Albiceleste starting attacking line-up could include Alejandro Garnacho, Lautaro Martinez, and Julian Alvarez.
Lionel Messi picked up an ankle injury during the 2024 Copa America final
The 2024 Copa America was a successful one for La Albiceleste as the team picked up their second consecutive trophy after winning the 2021 edition. However, the ending was a bittersweet one for Argentina's main man Lionel Messi as he picked up a crucial ankle injury during the final against Colombia on July 14.
Lionel Messi supposedly injured his right ankle after a nasty foul from Santiago Arias during the first half of the final against Colombia, but continued to play in the second half.
He later collapsed on the field without a tackle in the 64th minute and had to be subbed off in the 66th minute. Nico Gonzalez replaced La Albiceleste captain. Clips of Lionel Messi breaking down after being subbed off with a swollen right ankle went viral on social media.
However, Lautaro Martinez's winning goal during extra time sealed the deal for Argentina, leading them to pick up their second consecutive Copa America trophy.
Lionel Messi is yet to return to the pitch since his ankle injury. As per his current club Inter Miami, La Pulga has suffered ligament damage and will be out for an indefinite time.
In his absence, Inter Miami were knocked out of the Leagues Cup after a 3-2 loss to Columbus on August 14. The Argentine notably led the Herons to win their first trophy in history with the 2023 Leagues Cup shortly after joining the side as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.