Lionel Messi "announced his return to Argentina's national team" for its World Cup qualifiers in September, ending his short-lived retirement from int'l football, according to ESPN.
Messi, 29, "called it quits" after missing a penalty in the shootout defeat to Chile in this summer's Copa America Centenario final. Messi said in a statement, "I see that there are a lot of problems in Argentina football and I don't want to create more. I don't want to cause harm, on the contrary, my goal was to help in any way I could."
Messi made reference to federation problems a few days before the Copa final, saying the AFA, Argentine football's governing body, was "a disaster." The statement continued, "There are many things that need to be fixed in Argentine football. But I prefer to help from inside rather than stand on the outside and criticise." Argentina Manager Edgardo Bauza "expressed confidence Messi would change his mind." He said he did not pressure Messi to reconsider his decision to retire from int'l duty and had "only talked football" with the striker, but claimed Messi wanted to return (ESPN, 8/14).
