Surprise in Argentina’s list for Messi’s farewell friendlies
The Argentine national team will face the next friendlies against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin with the return of the attacker Franco Mastantuono on the squad list, in an international day that will be the official farewell of Lionel Messi from the Albiceleste.
The news of the presence of the Argentine captain and 10 in coach Lionel Scaloni’s squad for the matches on September 30 in Córdoba and October 3 and 6 in Buenos Aires was given by the president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Claudio Tapia, who said that in this way he will have “the farewell he deserves.”
Messi and 19 other members of the squad announced this Tuesday by the AFA were in the 2026 World Cup final against Spain, but there are also some returns that mark the beginning of a replacement process.
Franco Mastantuono, who has a good presence at the Italian Fiorentina to which he arrived on loan from the Spanish Real Madrid, returns to the light blue and white after being left out of the World Cup.
Called list
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez (Chelsea-ING), Gerónimo Rulli (Manchester City-ING) and Juan Musso (Atlético Madrid-ESP).
Defenders: Agustín Giay (Palmeiras-BRA), Leonardo Balerdi (Roma,-ITA), Cristian Romero (Atlético Madrid-ESP), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United-ING), Juan Foyth (Villarreal-ESP), Facundo Medina (Bayer Leverkusen-GER), Nicolás Tagliafico (Olympique Lyon-FRA) and Román Vega (Zenit-RUS).
Midfielders: Enzo Fernández (Manchester City-ING), Alexis MacAllister (Liverpool-ING), Valentín Barco (Chelsea-ING), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis, Spain), Exequiel Palacios, (Ipswich Town-ING), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami-USA), Nicolás Paz (Como-ITA), Franco Mastantuono (Fiorentina-ITA), Giuliano Simeone (Atlético Madrid-ESP), Nicolás González (Juventus-ITA) and Matías Soulé (Rome-ITA).
Forwards: Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica-POR), José Manuel López (Palmeiras-BRA), Santiago Castro (Roma-ITA), Julián Álvarez (Atlético Madrid-ESP), Lautaro Martínez (Inter-ITA) and Lionel Messi (Inter Miami-USA).
Leonardo Balerdi (Rome, Italy) and Juan Foyth (Villarreal, Spain), defenders who were part of the process leading up to the 2026 World Cup but were left out due to injuries, also appear on the list.
Other young promises who were already called up in the recent past return in these friendlies: Agustín Giay (Palmeiras, Brazil), Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica, Portugal), Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro (Rome, Italy).
Román Vega, left-back defender for Zenit of Russia, received his first call-up to the senior team after having participated in only two friendly matches with the Argentine U-23 team in 2024.
