Lionel Messi Faces Unexpected Setback as Key Teammates Bow Out of Farewell Match—What This Means for Argentina’s Final Showdown

Lionel Messi‘s farewell window with the Argentina national team will come with a couple of notable absences, as head coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed two players will miss the upcoming friendlies due to injury just days before the squad reconvenes for the current FIFA window.

The players ruled out are Thiago Almada and Juan Foyth, both left off the roster for the three matches that will close with Messi’s emotional send-off against Benin.

Almada suffered a muscle injury after being substituted early in River Plate’s match at the Argentine league, with initial assessments pointing to several weeks on the sidelines.

Foyth’s situation traces back further, as the Villarreal defender has been managing muscle discomfort since late August that never fully cleared up. Rather than risk him, the coaching staff opted to leave him out of all three friendlies.