Barcelona forward Lionel Messi looks set to come out of international retirement under new Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza, according to reports.
The 29-year-old called time on his international career in the immediate aftermath of Argentina’s defeat in to Chile in the final of this year’s Copa America.
But after Bauza travelled to Barcelona in an attempt to persuade Messi to return to international football, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is set to be named in Argentina’s squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, Sport reports.
On the back of his trip to Spain to speak with Messi, the Argentina coach was upbeat about the chances of seeing Messi playing for his national side once more.
Bauza said: ‘I see him with a lot of enthusiasm, but I don’t want to go further.
‘This Friday I will talk with him by telephone to finish confirming the list. I have no doubt that Messi has the desire to return, but we will wait and see.’
Argentina face Uruguay and Venezuela in September as they get their campaign underway to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia
Messi: ” I want thank all people who wanted me to continue playing with Arg. Hopefully we’ll give you some joy soon”
Messi has won 113 caps for Argetina, scoring 55 goals.
