Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi and teammate Rodrigo De Paul, whose club is in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs, have been selected for Argentina’s friendly match against Angola next week.
Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni named the forward and midfielder to the 24-player roster for the November 14 friendly.
Inter Miami and Nashville FC split the first two matches of their MLS Cup playoff series, with the decisive Game 3 on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Should Inter Miami advance, the Eastern Conference semifinals would not begin until Nov. 22 or 23.
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The pair did represent Argentina for two friendlies in October during the MLS regular season, with Messi playing in one and De Paul both matches against Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
Scaloni apparently took into account Argentina’s Primera Division not pausing matches during the November international window and did not select any players from those squads.
“We spoke with Scaloni to ensure that players from Argentine football teams that are playing decisive matches in the Clausura Tournament are not called up,” said Argentine football federation president Claudio Tapia said in an ESPN report on Thursday.
Goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez, 33, of Aston Villa, did not get the call from the national team for the friendly.
Messi, the MLS Golden Boot winner and MLS MVP favorite, was selected to the an MLS Best XI list this season. With 29 goals and 19 assists, the Inter Miami forward was one goal contribution shy of the league-record 49 set by Carlos Vela in 2019 and could be the first back-to-back MVP in league history.
Full Squad
Goalkeepers: Gerónimo Rulli (Marseille), Walter Benítez (Crystal Palace)
Defenders: Nahuel Molina (Atlético Madrid), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon), Valentín Barco (Racing Strasbourg)
Midfielders: Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Thiago Almada (Atlético Madrid), Máximo Perrone (Como), Nicolás Paz (Como)
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Julián Álvarez (Atlético Madrid), Nicolás González (Atlético Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atlético Madrid), José Manuel López (Palmeiras), Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica), Joaquín Panichelli (Racing Strasbourg)
Published on Nov 07, 2025