Lionel Messi won a record seventh Ballon d’Or in 2021 – and he is showing no signs of slowing down.
The Paris Saint-Germain star has scored 11 goals in 26 games for the club and country so far this season, including a hat-trick for Argentina against Bolivia last September.
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But Messi will not play against Chile tonight as Argentina play their remaining qualifying matches.
Why is Lionel Messi not playing?
After a solid campaign, Argentina have already booked their place at this winter’s World Cup in Qatar.
Messi has played a big part in that success, scoring six times in 13 matches to send his country to another final.
The Argentine will be 35 years old by the time the tournament begins and this is likely to be his last shot at the biggest prize.
Lionel Scaloni announced his 27-man squad for matches against Chile and Colombia on 19 January.
And there was no place for Messi, who hasn’t played for PSG since 22 December.
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The forward tested positive for COVID-19 on Christmas and a negative on arrival in Paris on 5 January.
But Messi revealed on Instagram that he has been knocked back by the infection and has taken “much longer” to recover than expected.
He has therefore been ruled out of international action in a bid to rebuild his fitness and star for PSG in the Champions League.
how can i watch argentina vs chile on tv and live stream
- Argentina’s next World Cup qualifier is set for Friday, January 28.
- Kick-off is at 12.15 pm GMT.
- You can watch all the action live on Premiere Sport 1.
- And streaming is also available on Premiere Player.
