In 158 appearances for Argentina, Lionel Messi has scored 80 goals. However, in the most recent round of 2022 World Cup qualification, he won't be adding to his already staggering totals of caps or goals.
The reason for this is that Lionel Scaloni's lineup for the upcoming matches against Chile and Colombia does not include the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Given his talismanic characteristics, the Albiceleste do not take the decision to bench Messi lightly, but the chance has arisen for the nation's captain to do so. GOAL examines the rationale behind that choice.
During Argentina's matches against Chile and Colombia, Messi will sit out so that he may fully recuperate from the effects of Covid-19.
Messi made the most of the chance to return to Argentina and spend Christmas there during the Ligue 1 winter break that Paris Saint-Germain took in. The illustrious 34-year-old acquired Covid-19 while traveling to South America.
Messi struggled to regain match sharpness as quickly as he would have liked after being driven into self-isolation for an extended period of time.
At one point, he said on Instagram: "As you know, I had COVID. I wanted to thank you for all the messages you sent and let you know that it took me longer than I anticipated to get well, but I'm almost back to normal and I'm really looking forward to getting back on the field."
After missing a month of competitive football, the player made a cameo appearance off the bench in PSG's 4-0 victory against Reims on January 23.
Messi played only 27 minutes in that match and has scored just one goal in Ligue 1 this year, along with five goals in the Champions League.
Scaloni, the Argentina manager, decided to rest his captain for the games against Chile and Colombia because he had form and fitness issues that needed to be resolved at Parc des Princes.
The coach, who will not be on the field due to his own coronavirus test being positive, gave the following justification for his choice: "Obviously, we would love to have Messi here with us.
"I spoke with him, and he admitted that Covid seriously injured him. He needs to recover, therefore I determined that staying at his club was the best course of action.
Argentina's automatic qualification for Qatar 2022 made a difficult decision for Scaloni, who will hand the armband to Angel Di Maria in Messi's absence, much simpler.
Messi has been a member of 164 Argentina squads, making 143 starts for his nation and 15 substitute appearances.
He has only been used as a substitute on six occasions, missed five games due to a suspension, and missed 18 games due to injuries.
Messi has been completely absent from 58 Argentina games since his debut against Hungary on August 17, 2005.
Without him, the Albiceleste have won 32 of those games, drawn 13 of them, and lost 13 of them, for a victory percentage of 55%.
Messi has won 98 of the 158 games he has participated in for his nation.
His involvement in 31 ties and 29 losses means that Argentina wins 62% of the games in which he participates.
The South American country only loses games 18% of the time when Messi participates, but that percentage rises to 22% when he is absent.
Six of his 80 goals for his country have come on a World Cup stage, and despite reaching the final in 2014, he has scored in a variety of international games.
Messi has scored 13 goals at the Copa America, 34 goals in friendlies, 27 goals in World Cup qualifying, and 34 goals overall. Messi's long wait for senior international success will come to an end at that tournament in 2021 after placing second three times prior.
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