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3 min readJul 21, 2026 11:37 AM IST
Argentina captain Lionel Messi has stayed back in the USA after the World Cup final defeat. (AP Photo)
Lionel Scaloni and the rest of the Argentina World Cup team members were welcomed with a red carpet and a military band as they returned to their homeland without captain Lionel Messi and a few other players after their World Cup final defeat to Spain in New Jersey, United States.
The homecoming was not the one the Argentine fans had hoped for, as the expectations were that the outcome would be the same as it was in 2022. After winning the Qatar World Cup, millions of fans came out on the streets of Argentina to celebrate their historic victory, but the numbers in which fans turned out this year too were decent thanks to the performances put in by the team in their run to the final.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced on Monday that some of the team members would not board the flight back to Argentina, and Messi was one of the names not seen disembarking from the aircraft in images broadcast on local television.
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After what was deemed to be the last World Cup outing for the legendary Argentine, Messi reportedly decided to stay back in the United States and travelled back to Miami, where he plays in the Major League Soccer (MLS) for the club Inter Miami.
According to reports from Argentine sports media, other players who have also not returned to Argentina include Rodrigo De Paul- Messi’s teammate at Inter Miami — as well as Enzo Fernández, Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez, Cristian Romero, Gerónimo Rulli, Nicolás Paz, Nahuel Molina Lucero and Juan Musso.
Messi, who played the full 120 minutes against Spain in the World Cup final, will have some time off before returning to club football with Miami, as he will be recovering both physically and mentally, after playing through a packed schedule at the tournament.
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Both Messi and his teammate De Paul are expected to miss the next two games for Inter Miami, as sources said both will definitely be out for the matches against Chicago Fire FC on Wednesday, July 22 and CF Montréal on Saturday, July 25.
English (US) ·