Lionel Messi will again play for Argentina in 2019, claimed the national team’s general manager Jorge Burruchaga. He believes that it is impossible for La Pulga to hang up his national boots on a permanent basis.
Messi is Argentina’s all-time top scorer with 65 goals but has not represented the national team ever since the 3-4 defeat to eventual winners France at the 2018 World Cup.
Coach Jorge Sampaoli also departed from the national team following a disastrous World Cup campaign while Messi had remained tight-lipped about his future with La Albiceleste. It was his stunning goal against Nigeria that dragged Argentina into the knock-outs last June.
While it was also his phenomenal hat-trick against Ecuador in the final qualifying match that helped Argentina book a place to the flight for Russia. Despite his brilliance, Argentina has failed to win any major trophy with one of their biggest star in the team. They have lost four consecutive finals that include the 2014 World Cup final defeat to Germany and losses in the summit clash of Copa America in 2007, 2015 and 2016.
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Interim coach Lionel Scaloni has also not picked Messi in the squad in the three friendlies that Argentina has played so far. But Burruchaga believes that Messi will return for Argentina in 2019 and that there is no reason for the star to quit.
“No date is scheduled right now for the return of Messi and he will not be back before the end of the year,” Burruchaga told Goal. He had scored the winning goal in the 1986 World Cup final against Germany.
“But it’s impossible that he will not be in the national team again. This is transitory. I’m sure that next year, he will be in the Argentine national team again,” added Burruchaga.
Meanwhile, Argentina football icon Diego Maradona also was quoted by Marca as saying that Messi might return for Argentina. “We will see, because if not then we are in trouble,” said Maradona.
In their latest friendly, Argentina will play Mexico twice this month.