(Reuters) -Forward Lionel Messi was named in Argentina's 28-player preliminary squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, after an injury forced him to miss the fixtures against Uruguay and Brazil in March.
Defending champions Argentina, who are set to play Chile and Colombia in June, have already secured their place at the 2026 World Cup in Messi's absence following a 1-0 win over Uruguay in March, before thrashing rivals Brazil 4-1.
“It’s a shame to miss these two very special matches with the national team against Uruguay and Brazil," Messi wrote in an Instagram story after he was forced to withdraw with a groin strain.
"As always, I wanted to be there, but at the last moment, a not-so-serious injury that forces me to rest for a while before returning to play kept me out.”
Messi returned to action for Inter Miami later in the month and has scored six goals in all competitions for the club since then.
The 37-year-old is also set to play in the Club World Cup, where Miami kick off their campaign on June 14, four days after Argentina play Colombia.
Coach Lionel Scaloni has also included Nottingham Forest midfielder Nicolas Dominguez, who last appeared for Argentina in 2021.
Defender Valentin Barco and attacker Valentin Castellanos, who have not played for Argentina since last year, have also been named in the list.
ARGENTINA PRELIMINARY SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Olympique de Marseille) and Walter Benitez (PSV Eindhoven).
Defenders: Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (RC Lens), Nicolas Tagliafico (Olympique Lyonnais) and Valentin Barco (Strasbourg).
Midfielders: Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Leandro Paredes (Roma), Nicolas Dominguez (Nottingham Forest), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico), Thiago Almada (Lyon), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea) and Nicolas Paz (Como).
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Julian Alvarez (Atletico), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Valentin Castellanos (Lazio), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico) and Angel Correa (Atletico).
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Jan Harvey)
