Star striker Lionel Messi will
return to play for the Argentine national football team for the
"love" of his country, reversing his decision in June to retire from global
football.
The Barcelona forward had previously
said he would not play for
Argentina again following the team's loss to Chile in the final of the
Copa America in the US.
However, in a statement on Friday,
Messi explained that he wanted to go on representing his country as he
preferred "to help from within".
"I consider there to be a lot
of problems in Argentine football and it's not my intention to create another
one," the 29-year-old said.
"There are a lot of issues that
need to be resolved in Argentine football but I prefer to help from within and
not to criticise from the outside. A lot of things went through my mind on the
night of the final and I gave grave thought to quitting but my adore for my
country and this shirt is too great."
The five-time World Player of the
Year is now expected to be named in new coach Edgardo Bauza's squad to face
Uruguay and Venezuela for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers to be held in the first
week of September.
'Gift
from God'
In addition to the defeat on
penalties to Chile, Messi has lost three other major finals with Argentina, two
in the past two years including the 2014 World Cup final to Germany in Brazil.
Earlier, Argentina's President
Mauricio Macri had called on Messi to continue playing for the national side.
"It is a gift from God to have
the best player in the world in a footballing country like ours," Macri
had said in June.
"Lionel Messi is the greatest obsession
we have in Argentina and we must take care of him."