Lionel Messi arrives in Argentina ahead of World Cup qualifiers and Copa America

Barcelona and Argentina talisman has been spotted in Argentina already as he prepares to join the national team bubble ahead of their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, which will then be followed by the commencement of the Copa America.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner ended his season with Barcelona early, not making the trip to Eibar for their final La Liga game of the season in order to get in a couple of days extra of rest. However, the 33-year old has now joined his international teammates to begin preparing for their upcoming matches.

Messi already in Argentina, ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers next month. #FCB ??

pic.twitter.com/wtqnAgwI0x

— Reshad Rahman ✆ (@ReshadRahman_) May 26, 2021

Argentina will take on Chile on the 3rd of June and Colombia on the 8th in rounds seven and eight of two of their most crucial CONMEBOL qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which were supposed to be played in March but got postponed due to the spike in COVID-19 cases.

After the two qualifiers, the Albiceleste will kick off their Copa America campaign with another matchup against Chile on the 13th of June at the El Monumental stadium. The tournament, which has a much different format from the previous editions sees the 10 participating teams divided into two zones.

The North Zone and the South Zone. Argentina and Chile, of course, are included in the latter, alongside Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay. As for the World Cup qualifiers, the White and Sky Blues sit second in the table among all the other South American countries, two points shy of Brazil and one clear of Ecuador.

Lionel Messi, whose Barcelona future remains unresolved, will now most likely break silence on the matter after the Copa America concludes. He will be keen on getting his first taste of senior silverware with his country after endless heartbreaks.