Though Argentina lost their World Cup qualifier against Uruguay, that didn’t stop Lionel Messi from embracing an old teammate.
Messi and Inter Miami transfer target Luis Suárez greeted each other in a friendly manner before Argentina’s 2-0 loss vs. Uruguay.
Despite sitting on top of CONMEBOL’s standings, Argentina dropped their first match since November 22nd’s World Cup loss against Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to TYC Sports after the game, Messi touched on the scoreline and why Argentina failed to play well against their rivals: “It was difficult for us to play. They are intense. They make you one-on-one, they have physical and fast people in the middle. It was difficult for us to find our game.”
The World Cup winner continued: “They play very well. We had to lose. It’s also a test. This could happen and we have to get up, try to play a great game in Brazil.”
Messi and Argentina will rest up and look forward to their match against Brazil on November 21st.
Messi’s schedule after Brazil match
Messi will close out 2023 against Brazil on November 21st.
After that, the Argentine will start his off-season, which will last from November 22nd to early January.
According to head coach Tata Martino, Inter Miami will return to its training facilities on January 10th to kick off the new Major League Soccer season.
Miami ended 2023 dissatisfied as the Herons failed to make the playoffs. Though the squad won its first piece of silverware in club history in the summer, the form wasn’t sustainable throughout the year.
With 2024 on the horizon, Inter Miami wants to challenge for more trophies. If the aforementioned Suárez joins the team, and Messi, Jordi Alba, and Busquets get a full off-season of rest, Miami will be the team to look out for next season.