Lionel Messi Included in Argentina's Provisional World Cup Squad

Buenos Aires. The uncertainty among fans regarding Lionel Messi's participation in the upcoming FIFA World Cup has been somewhat alleviated. The possibility of him appearing in the World Cup has become stronger after Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni included the 38-year-old superstar Messi's name in the 55-member preliminary squad announced on Monday. While Argentina is preparing to defend its World Cup title, and Messi has not fully confirmed his availability, the coach's selection has given a positive signal.

Messi is one of the 16 forwards selected by Scaloni. 20-year-old young player Gianluca Prestianni has also been included in the squad. Prestianni has been banned for 6 matches for allegedly using homophobic slurs during a UEFA Champions League match in February.

Since FIFA has implemented the said punishment in official matches worldwide, Prestianni may miss the first two group stage matches of the World Cup. Playing for Benfica, he had denied the accusation of abusing Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior and clarified on social media that he was misunderstood.

Messi, who is also the captain of Inter Miami, had indicated his retirement from international football last June, stating that he was enjoying the final moments of his playing career. Although he participated in the initial World Cup qualifiers, he missed some of the recent matches due to injury.

This had raised concerns about Messi's future, but coach Scaloni had been saying that there was still enough time to make a decision. Messi's teammates Julian Alvarez and Rodrigo De Paul have supported his presence, saying that the team always looks better and scores more goals when Messi is in the squad.

In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Messi scored seven goals to help Argentina win the title after 36 years. The co-hosts of the upcoming World Cup, starting from June 11, are Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Argentina will begin its title defense journey on June 16 in Kansas City against Algeria. After that, it is scheduled to face Austria on June 22 and Jordan on June 27. The World Cup final will be held on July 19.