Scaloni reveals why he didn't call Lionel Messi for Argentina duty

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has stated that he spoke to Lionel Messi before revealing his full squad for the World Cup qualifiers in the ongoing international break.

The Albiceleste have already secured their berth at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and hence it was decided to not risk the Paris Saint-Germain superstar for the international break.

"Clearly we would love to have Messi here with us," Scaloni explained to reporters on Wednesday.

"I spoke to him and he told me that COVID hit him hard. It is key for him to get well, and that is why I decided that the best option was for him to stay at his club."

PSG would be absolutely delighted with the decision taken by the Argentinean coach as this means Messi will be fully fit and raring to go when the Parisians face Real Madrid in a mouth-watering UEFA Champions League round -of-16 clash.

Scaloni, who himself will not be traveling for the game after returning a positive COVID-19 test, went on to then speak about who will be leading the Argentina side on the night.

As reported by Goal, Scaloni said, "The question of the armband is logical enough. Angel (Di Maria) has been in the national team for many years and he is a guy who transmits a lot to his team-mates, he is loved and that's all there is to it. In that, we are in no doubt at all."