Why is Lionel Messi Not Playing Today for Argentina vs Bolivia? Reason Revealed

Lionel Messi's last dance is on the cards, as Argentina will kick off this international window with a friendly against Bolivia at Mario Kempes Stadium in Córdoba, Argentina. This is one of three matches scheduled, with the other two against Burkina Faso and Benin on 4th and 7th October, respectively.

The Argentina national football team will bid farewell to one of its own, who has brought immense success and joy not only to the national team but to the whole nation, through his exploits in his glittering 20-year career.

However, one of the greatest footballers of all time, Lionel Messi, is not included in the matchday squad for Bolivia. You might be surprised, as this tour was made the stage for the little magician's epic send-off from the international scene and has certainly left the fans searching for, ‘Is Lionel Messi Playing in Argentina vs Bolivia?’

To answer your question, ‘Is Lionel Messi Playing in Argentina vs Bolivia?’, we are here to delve into the details of why the Argentine great is not taking part in this friendly fixture.

Lionel Messi Not Included In The Squad To Face Bolivia

Fans were waiting with bated breath, with just one query in mind: ‘Is Lionel Messi Playing Today?’ Well, we regret to inform you that Lionel Messi won't take part in this game against Bolivia, or even against Burkina Faso in the next one.

The reason is simple, Lionel Scaloni is looking to build a team for the future, as they need to get used to life without the little magician. The 39-year-old has carried the hopes of a nation single-handedly for all these years, even helping them lift the World Cup in 2022.

Messi was La Albiceleste's best performer by a mile in the recent World Cup too, before getting outplayed by the Spain national football team in the final. Nevertheless, it shouldn't take away the credit that is due, because a 39-year-old was still the one who did the heavy lifting in a team consisting some of the best players from the top five leagues in the world.

Leo Messi resting in these games makes sense too, as he still wants to continue in club football, with an important phase of the season coming up in the MLS. Inter Miami would want to keep their star player fresh for the remainder of the season, so it makes sense to only play him in the game against Benin at the Estadio Monumental.

Scaloni will also use this opportunity to test out several new players who can fill in for the position left vacant. Deep down, we all agree that the void left behind by Messi in the national team would be quite hard to fill, but the beautiful thing about life is that it keeps moving.

Maybe Argentina won't ever move on from Messi, even after Messi has moved on from international duties. However, every touch, every shot, every goal will be dedicated to his memory, for being the one who showed the path to the new generation that it takes a lot of suffering before achieving something heavenly.