After a final warm-up win that drew a huge crowd in Alabama, Argentina are settling into their World Cup headquarters in Kansas City with confidence soaring following the return of captain Lionel Messi.
The Albiceleste’s skipper passed his fitness test against Iceland with flying colours, playing the final 20 minutes of last Tuesday's 3-0 friendly victory over Iceland. He even got on the scoresheet, slotting home from the penalty spot.
"Come on, more united than ever," Messi wrote after the game in a message to his 506 million Instagram followers, posting an image of himself greeting supporters after the final whistle.
A crowd of 88,043 packed Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium, setting a new attendance record for a football match in Alabama. Most were there for the rare opportunity to watch the world's most popular footballer in action.
Messi – who had been sidelined for the previous two weeks with a muscular injury – needed less than a minute on the pitch to create the move that led to Argentina’s penalty, threading a pass through to striker Lautaro Martínez.
After the Inter Milan star was brought down in the area, Messi converted from the spot to make it 2-0. It was his 117th goal in 199 appearances for the Albiceleste.
Barring any setbacks, Messi is now set to earn his 200th international cap on an occasion that could hardly be more special.
Next week, on June 16, he will lead Argentina onto the pitch when they begin the defence of their Qatar 2022 title.
It will be the sixth World Cup of Messi’s career.
Argentina’s opening match, against Algeria, will take place in Kansas City, where the side arrived this week to settle into their training camp, reassured by the return of their talisman.
"We need him, we want him and we're going to do it again for him," said Rodrigo De Paul, Messi's close friend and Inter Miami teammate, this week.
Barco's confidence
Outside of Messi's welcome return, the match against Iceland also featured impressive performances from emerging talents including playmaker Nico Paz and the two other goalscorers on Wednesday night: Valentín Barco and Thiago Almada.
Barco was so confident beforehand that his wife, Yazmín Jaureguy, shared a prophetic message the player had sent before kick-off: "Come on, I'm scoring today."
"Today's test left me satisfied and cleared up many doubts about what the team might still be lacking," said national team coach Lionel Scaloni after the game.
He brought most of his regular starters off the bench during the second half, getting minutes into their legs.
Scaloni has yet to reveal how he intends to replace defender Leonardo Balerdi, who was ruled out of the squad with a muscle tear last week. He said that a decision would be made between Wednesday and Thursday.
Experienced midfielder Guido Rodríguez, now with Valencia and a member of Argentina's World Cup-winning squad in Qatar, is regarded by local media as the leading candidate to fill the vacant spot.
Álvarez sidelined
Among the notable absentees from Tuesday’s training session was goalkeeper Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martínez, who is continuing his recovery from a fractured finger on his right hand.
He was replaced by back-up goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli. The other shot-stopper in the squad is Atlético Madrid’s Juan Musso, who played in Argentina’s first warm-up friendly against Honduras.
Supporters attending training were also unable to see forward Julián Álvarez, currently one of the most sought-after players in Spanish football.
Sidelined by an ankle problem, Álvarez nevertheless dominated headlines after reports emerged that Real Madrid had submitted a staggering US$150-million offer for his services.
According to Spanish media, Atlético – Álvarez's club since 2024 – immediately rejected the approach from their city rivals. They previously did the same with another gigantic offer from Barcelona.
Álvarez, who is in a race against time to be fit for Argentina's World Cup opener, carried out light training exercises on the turf alongside several substitutes after the friendly.
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