Lionel Scaloni unveils first Argentina squad of post-Messi era

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has announced his first squad since Lionel Messi reportedly retired from international football last month.

Messi brought his Argentina career to an end after scoring his final goal for the country against Benin Republic in an international friendly.

Following the departure of the legendary forward, Scaloni has selected a squad featuring several established players, including Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández and Lisandro Martínez.

However, Cristian Romero was left out of the latest squad due to a reported injury.

Argentina are preparing for two upcoming international fixtures, with Scaloni’s team scheduled to face Uruguay next week before taking on Costa Rica four days later.

Argentina’s latest squad:

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso and Santiago Beltran.

Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel, Agustin Giay, Aaron Anselmino, Mariano Troilo, Leonardo Balerdi, Lisandro Martinez, Facundo Medina, Nicolas Tagliafico and Roman Vega.

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Midfielders: Ezequiel Fernandez, Maximo Perrone, Exequiel Palacios, Valentin Barco, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Nico Paz, Matias Soule, Franco Mastantuono, Giuliano Simeone, Gianluca Prestianni and Thiago Almada.

Forwards: Jose Manuel Lopez, Santiago Gomez and Julian Alvarez.