Buenos Aires, June 8 (SANA) Argentina captain Lionel Messi could feature in Tuesday’s friendly against Iceland after recovering from fatigue in his left hamstring.
The 38-year-old, who has not played since May 25, remained on the bench during Argentina’s 2-0 win over Honduras on Saturday but could see minutes against Iceland. Messi has made 198 appearances for Argentina and would reach 200 caps if he plays in both pre-World Cup friendlies.
Named in Lionel Scaloni’s 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup, Messi holds the record for the most World Cup appearances by any player with 26 matches and could become, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, one of only two male players to feature in six World Cups.
Midfielder Nico Paz returned to training on Sunday after recovering from a knee injury and is available for the Iceland match. Right-backs Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel have also resumed full training.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez and midfielder Leandro Paredes continue individual rehabilitation programs but are expected to be fit for Argentina’s opening Group J match against Algeria on June 17.
Argentina, the defending world champions, will also face Austria and Jordan in the group stage of the tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
M.F / ABD
