Messi was absent from his country’s squad against Bolivia in La Paz to rest, during the match that the Tango Dancers won 3-0 in the second round of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Usually, when a player is excluded from the list, whether due to injury, suspension, or an administrative or technical decision, he is forced to sit in the stands, and most of the time directly behind the bench.
However, Messi was allowed to sit on the bench with the rest of his teammates, and the reason was surprising, according to a TNT Sports report.
The report explained that the winner of the 7 Golden Balls was registered in the match as an assistant to technical director Lionel Scaloni, and not as a substitute player in the Argentine national team, which allowed him to sit with the technical staff alongside the players.
The network reported: “For this reason, Messi was not dressed like his fellow players when he sat next to them, but instead appeared in the uniform designated for the technical staff.”
Messi, who led his country to its third world title at the World Cup in Qatar last year, admitted that he was “a little tired.”
The 36-year-old played a series of 12 matches in the last 49 days, including 11 with his new American team, Inter Miami, and a match with his country’s national team.
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