Argentina president Mauricio Macri believes Lionel Messi will play for the national team again.
The superstar announced his retirement from international football following Argentina’s penalty shootout loss to Chile in the Copa America Centenario last month, but Macri claims he has since spoken to Messi, and is convinced that the Barcelona man will be back.
“I talked to him on the phone, I’m sure he will come back,” Macri told CNBC. “He’s the best in the world.”
The country has been doing everything it can to convince Messi, who was recently sentenced to 21 months jail in Spain for tax fraud, to return to the national team setup. Buenos Aires unveiled a statue of Messi after the final, expressing their love for him as people rallied in the streets, asking for him to return.
Now, the country’s leader is getting on the phone with Messi and trying to cajole him into pulling on the Argentina shirt again.
All indications are that Messi will return. Reports quoting people close him to have hinted at a return, while his teammates said that his snap retirement was just the heartbreak of losing yet another final and that it would wear off. Now the president of the entire country is hopping on the “Messi will return” bandwagon.
Of course, we still haven’t heard from Messi himself, so who knows.8
