Lionel Messi lands in Argentina for the games against Uruguay and Brazil

A special night of celebration took place last Friday when Inter Miami hosted NYCFC in a commemorative game to celebrate Lionel Messi’s 8th Balon d’Or, the last game of 2023. The game did not end well for Inter Miami, who lost 1-2, but the main man of the night, Lionel Messi, certainly got his time to shine and presented his individual award to the excited crowd.

Now, however, he has already switched focus and has travelled to his native country to meet up with the rest of the Argentina national squad ahead of their crucial ties against Uruguay and Brazil. Messi arrived on Sunday morning to Argentina and will now train under the orders of Lionel Scaloni once again.

Will Lionel Messi play against Uruguay?

Various media outlets in Argentina shared images of the ex-Barcelona forward on Argentinian soil, and he will meet up to play against Uruguay and Brazil in what will be the 5th and 6th match days of the Conmebol Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

Messi was snapped smiling as he arrived at Buenos Aires airport, making it clear that the injuries and niggling pain that he suffered during the last international break are finally gone. According to TyC Sports in Argentina, Messi is set to play the entire 90 minutes against Uruguay, despite playing the full game in the aforementioned tie against NYCFC.

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What is Argentina’s record in 2023?

As of Sunday, Messi will report to international duty at the Ezeiza training complex, where work will officially begin on Monday with the full senior squad ahead of Thursday’s clash at La Bombonera.

Messi will try to lead his team to two more wins and keep up the so-far perfect record that the Albiceleste have in the Conmebol qualifiers. The side led by Scaloni have scored 20 goals in the 8 games played so far this year and are yet to concede a single goal in either a friendly or competitive match.