MADRID — Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso has praised the maturity of teenager newcomer Franco Mastantuono and downplayed the player's choice of former Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi as the world's best player.

Lionel Messi's return is a huge boost for Inter Miami as they look to take the top spot in the latest ESPN Power Rankings.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Argentina 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Squad Confirmed for September: Messi Missing Key Midfielder. The Argentina national team returns in September for their two final 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier games taking on Venezuela and Ecuador.

However, the captain was front and center of Argentina’s preliminary squad announcement on Monday, signaling that fans are likely to see Messi play a role for Lionel Scaloni’s team come September. Despite the lack of jeopardy for Argentina in the final two matchdays, other star players have been slated to make the trip, including:

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has included Lionel Messi in his preliminary list for CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador on Sept. 4 and 9, respectively.

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Argentina's national team unveiled a revamped 31-man squad on Monday, led by Lionel Messi, for the South American qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador for the 2026 World Cup.

Major League Soccer Matchday 29 brought plenty of highlight moments from across the league, with outstanding goals acting as exclamation points to a tense week for several clubs. Lionel Messi returned to the pitch,

Will Lionel Messi play 2026 World Cup? Injury problems in the last year have hampered Messi's involvement with Argentina at times, while he has remained tight-lipped over whether he will feature in th