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Qatar 2022: Why is Mauro Icardi not playing for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup?

Mauro Icardi has been one of the best strikers in the world during the last decade. Nevertheless, there are very important reasons why he is not playing for Argentina in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

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By miguel angel fernandez castro

Mauro Icardi of Argentina
© Amilcar Orfali/Getty ImagesMauro Icardi of Argentina

Mauro Icardi has scored almost 150 goals during his tenure in European soccer with different clubs such as Sampdoria, Inter and PSG . Icardi became a star in Serie A , especially in his stint with Inter where he became an idol for the fans selling thousands of jerseys. In the 2014-2015 season, Mauro Icardi was the top-scorer of the Italian League ( Capocannoniere ) with 22 goals. That same season, Icardi was part of the Team of the Year.

Three years later, he won the award for Best Player in Serie A after a new season as the best scorer in Italy. This time, he did it with 29 goals and started to become a reference for Argentina. Then, on 2020, a shocking transfer to PSG sent Icardi to France where he won two Ligue 1 and two French Cups.

However, in the last years, Mauro Icardi is having problems on and off the field. So, when Argentina announced their 26-man roster for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, many people wondered which were the reasons for his absence.

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Why is Mauro Icardi missing the Qatar 2022 World Cup?

Mauro Icardi is definitely not in the form which made him a star with Inter in Italy. So, considering this scenario, it was really tough for Lionel Scaloni to consider him above names such asLionel Messi (PSG), Lautaro Martínez (Inter), Angel Di Maria (Juventus), Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid), Julián Álvarez (Manchester City) or Paulo Dybala (Roma).

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At the same time, many reports have emphasized that Mauro Icardi’s relationship with the players of the National Team is absolutely damaged after his scandal with Maxi Lopez’s ex-wife, Wanda Nara. Many leaders of Argentina, especially Lionel Messi, never saw Icardi as part of the group after that.

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