(Football news) AS Roma forward Paulo Dybala made the Argentina World Cup coach as Lionel Scaloni named his 26-man squad where Lionel Messi will lead this side. Dybala has not played for Roma since early October but he was still named in the Argentina squad as he hopes to regain his fitness before their World Cup begins on Nov. 22 against their Group C opponents in Saudi Arabia.
Messi, will be playing in his fifth and final World Cup where he will be accompanied by fellow veterans in Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi along with some young players who helped Argentina win the Copa America title last year. Lionel Messi will be a man on a mission in Qatar and it looks like his Argentina national team are on board for it. The PSG forward is seeking the crowning achievement of his legendary career by winning the most prestigious trophy in the sport of football as it has eluded him in his four previous attempts. He already made it public that this will be his last World Cup.
For Scaloni, heading into the World Cup, there were serious doubts over the fitness of Paulo Dybala, Angel Di Maria but the trio will most likely be fit for their first match against Saudi Arabia while Villareal midfielder Giovani Lo Celso is out injured. In defence, Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez is included after a debate over whether the Premier League newcomer would be chosen amid the strong defensive options Scaloni had. The only surprises came when Scaloni decided to exclude Atletico Madrid's Angel Correa and Napoli forward Giovanni Simeone, who have been on a sensational run of scoring form in the last year or so.
There was growing chatter, especially from United fans, for Alejandro Garnacho to be included in the 26 man Argentina squad. The teenager has previously made the preliminary squads without winning a senior cap as recently he was involved in the United first team and delivered a star cameo off the bench in a 4-2 Carabao Cup win over Aston Villa but he will have to wait for his chance. They face Saudi Arabia first which should allow Messi and his teammates to get warmed up before the crunch tie against Mexico. The final match against Poland which could be a deciding fixture.
"They are proud to be called up and wear this jersey, let's hope that you as fans are too. All together," coach Scaloni said in an Instagram video.
Argentina squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Franco Armani (River Plate) and Geronimo Rulli (Villarreal)
Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Marcos Acuna (Sevilla)
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Juventus), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis), Enzo Fernandez (Benfica), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alejandro Gomez (Sevilla), Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Forwards: Paulo Dybala (AS Roma), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain), Angel Di Maria (Juventus), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), Joaquin Correa (Inter Milan), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Julian Alvarez (Manchester City).
Also read: Why did Enrique drop Thiago and Sergio Ramos from the World Cup squad?
