After Lionel Scaloni announced the squad led by Lionel Messi for Argentina’s upcoming friendlies in the United States against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, controversy erupted in Spain over the inclusion of Thiago Almada. The Atletico Madrid player has been training separately for more than a month due to a muscle problem.
During the last round of South American World Cup Qualifiers, Almada picked up an injury that ruled him out of Diego Simeone’s plans. His call-up for Argentina’s next two games — scheduled for Friday, October 10 and Monday, October 13 — sparked criticism in Spain.
Spanish media questioned how Almada could not be fit to play for Atletico but was still summoned to represent Argentina. However, in the last few hours, Scaloni reportedly decided to rule the 24-year-old attacker out of both matches. Gaston Edul of TyC Sports reported the news Saturday.
For now, no replacement has been called up, though that could change in the coming days, as Almada is considered an important player by Argentina’s coaching staff.
Argentina’s complete roster for October friendlies
So far, Almada’s absence is the only confirmed one for Lionel Scaloni’s squad. Goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez was initially in doubt after suffering a calf strain during warm-ups ahead of an Europa League match with Aston Villa.
However, the injury concern was eventually ruled out, clearing Martinez to join Argentina for the October friendlies. Here’s the full list of players called up by Lionel Scaloni:
- Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Walter Benitez, Geronimo Rulli and Facundo Cambeses.
- Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Senesi, Lautaro Rivero, Nicolas Tagliafico and Marcos Acuña.
- Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Anibal Moreno, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Paz, Giovani Lo Celso, Alexis Mac Allister and Franco Mastantuono.
- Forwards: Giuliano Simeone, Nicolas Gonzalez, Lionel Messi, Jose Manuel Lopez, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.