Messi in Argentina squad to face Brazil Neymar

On Monday, Lionel Messi was called into the Argentina squad to face his new-old colleague in Paris Saint-Germain, French star Neymar, next month, in the South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup.

The expected meeting on the fifth of September between the two South American giants will be the first in which Messi meets Neymar, since the friendship between them was renewed with the first transfer from Barcelona to Saint-Germain.

And the confrontation will be on the fifth of next month, less than two months after the match that brought them together in the Copa America final on Brazilian soil, when Messi finally managed to break his knot and win his first title with his country by winning the final 1-0.

Before Messi meets his new-old colleague Neymar, who played alongside him in Barcelona from 2013 to 2017, he and his companions will meet Venezuela on the second of September, and then they will face Bolivia on the ninth of that.

Brazil leads the South American group after scoring a full 18 points from its first six matches, while Argentina occupies second place with 12 points, but also without any defeat.

Barcelona and Messi shocked the fans of the game by announcing the separation between them after a partnership that lasted for 21 years, which opened the door for Saint Germain, who contracted with Neymar in the summer of 2017 for 222 million euros, to obtain the services of the Argentine in a free transfer deal as a result of the expiration of his contract with the Catalan club.

The two stars have not played any match together so far in the Parisian club shirt because they gave them a chance to catch their breath after participating with their country's national team in the Copa America.

Messi is expected to make his PSG debut this weekend against Rennes in the domestic league.

The surprises were absent from coach Lionel Scaloni's squad for Argentina's next three matches in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, as it included attacking duo Lautaro Martinis (Inter, Italy) and Paulo Dybala (Juventus, Italy), while new Barcelona player Sergio Aguero is absent due to injury.

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