Barcelona star Lionel Messi has explained the reasons behind his return to the Argentina squad. “I love my country too much…”
Messi reversed his decision to retire from international football on Friday after talks with new Argentina boss Edgardo Bauza, resulting in his recall for upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezuela next month.
“A lot of things crossed my mind on the day of the [Copa America] final and I seriously thought about quitting, but I love my country and this shirt too much,” the forward said in a statement picked up by Marca.
“I see that there are many problems in Argentine football and don’t intend to create one more. I don’t want to cause any more harm. I’ve always wanted to do the opposite and help everyone.
“There are many things to fix in Argentine football, but I prefer to do it from within rather than criticising from the outside.
“I thank all those people who want me to continue playing for Argentina, and hopefully we can give [the Argentina fans] some joy soon.”
