Fans around the world hoping to see Lionel Messi dazzle with Argentina on Friday against Venezuela were disappointed when they found out the superstar won’t feature at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni floated Messi’s potential involvement in the low-stakes affair, though the national team confirmed his exclusion Friday before kick-off—Nico Paz, Lautaro Martínez and Julián Alvarez start in attack. “It’s true that these are games to try out and to see, as I said the other day, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Scaloni revealed Thursday.
The 38-year-old missed four matches through a muscle injury in August across Major League Soccer and Leagues Cup. Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano has previously been cautious with Messi’s fitness as well aiming to keep his superstar fit throughout a lengthy campaign.
Argentina also confirmed Real Madrid youngster Franco Mastantuono will miss October action with a muscle overload in his left thigh.
