Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza managed to convince Lionel Messi to come out of international retirement just a few months after he announced his exit from the national team.
The decision to retire from international duty was taken by Messi after watching his team suffered three consecutive disappointments in major finals. The Barcelona superstar was unable to prevent defeat in the Copa America 2015, 2016, and the World Cup 2014. The defeat in the Copa America came against Chile while the World Cup loss came against Germany. Despite having won all major honours with Barcelona, Messi is still without a major title at international level.
After having just convinced the player to come out of retirement,Bauza has warned the rest of the team that the presence of Messi alone will not solve all the problems. Lack of team effort is widely regarded as the reason for Argentina being unable to win major honours despite having come so close. The over reliance on Messi has also been attributed as one factor and this could change under the regime ofBauza. Fortunately, Argentina have a wealth of attacking talent in the form of Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, and Angel di Maria. All these players can complement Messi and can even perform when he is unavailable.
“Messi causes problems for the opposition. The team can benefit with him playing in several positions. But one thing is clear: He will always have two or three opponents around him. We have to try to make the most of that because it leaves other players free.I don’t want Messi to fix all of our problems. We have to work to find a solution. It’s a nice challenge. He is good. We are going to take care of him. But I am confident he will be fine for the Uruguay match,” saidBauza.