Messi leads Argentina's squad for pre-Copa America friendlies

Argentina announced their 29-man squad for their upcoming friendlies before the Copa America, with Lionel Messi leading the team. However, forward Paulo Dybala, who has been struggling with injuries, did not make the cut.

The team will face Ecuador on June 9th at Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago and Guatemala five days later at Commanders Field in Washington.

Coach Lionel Scaloni will need to trim the squad down to 26 players, as per CONMEBOL regulations for the Copa America, which begins on June 20th.

In addition to Messi, players like Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi, who were part of the 2022 World Cup-winning team in Qatar, have been included. Scaloni has also included young talents such as Leonardo Balerdi, Valentin Barco, Alejandro Garnacho, and Valentin Carboni.

Notably, AS Roma forward Dybala will be absent from the squad due to his ongoing injury issues, which have previously kept him out of international matches.

Argentina's Copa America campaign kicks off against Canada on June 20th, followed by matches against Chile and Peru on June 25th and June 29th, respectively. The tournament, held in the United States, will run until July 14th.

Here is the complete Argentina squad:

Goalkeepers: Franco Armani (River Plate), Geronimo Rulli (Ajax), and Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (Nottingham Forest), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique de Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Lucas Martinez Quarta (Fiorentina), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Marcos Acuna (Sevilla), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), and Valentin Barco (Brighton)

Midfielders: Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis), Leandro Paredes (Roma), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayern Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur), Angel Di Maria (Benfica), and Valentin Carboni (AC Monza)

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), and Julian Alvarez (Manchester City.