Messi to captain Argentina at the World Cup

Lionel Messi will captain Argentina at the World Cup, national coach Lionel Scaloni announced Thursday as he unveiled his 26-man squad.

Messi, 38, had not previously confirmed he would play in what will be a record-breaking sixth tournament for the Argentine superstar.

But it had been widely assumed the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner would again lead Argentina, four years after lifting the trophy in Qatar.

As well as confirming Messi’s presence, Thursday’s announcement notably excluded Real Madrid’s Franco Mastantuono from the Argentina squad.

Eighteen-year-old Mastantuono is considered one of the brightest prospects in Argentine football.

The largest ever World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, kicks off June 11.

Argentina’s first match will be five days later against Algeria in Kansas City.

Messi has been at the heart of an injury scare in recent days, with his club side Inter Miami this week saying medical tests diagnosed him with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring.

The Major League Soccer club had provided no clear timetable for Messi’s return after his abrupt exit from Miami’s 6-4 victory over Philadelphia in the 73rd minute on Sunday.

But Scaloni had played down the seriousness of the injury this week.

– Romero returns –

Center-back Cristian Romero, who suffered a knee injury last month and has not played since, was also named in the squad.

The Tottenham Hotspur captain was ruled out for the remainder of the Premier League season after he was shoved into his own goalkeeper by Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey.

Argentina’s roster retains 17 of the 26 players who won the title in Qatar.

Young players who received call-ups include 21-year-olds Nicolas Paz and Valentin Barco.

Palmeiras forward Jose Manuel Lopez, who only made his international debut last year, also features.

Other notable absentees include Emiliano Buendia — currently in excellent form at Aston Villa — and Roma star Paulo Dybala.

The South American giants will journey to the United States for pre-World Cup friendlies against Honduras on June 6 and Iceland on June 9.

Argentina’s World Cup group also contains Austria and Jordan.

Along with Messi, Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa are also expected to appear in their sixth World Cups this summer.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, ENG), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille, FRA), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid, ESP)

Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate, ARG), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United, ENG), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica, POR), Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique Marseille, FRA), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG), Facundo Medina (Marseille, FRA), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon, FRA).

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors, ARG), Rodrigo de Paul (Inter Miami, USA), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen, GER), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea, ENG), Alexis MacAllister (Liverpool, ENG), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis, ESP), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg).

Attackers: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, USA), Nicolas Paz (Como, ITA), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan, ITA), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras, BRA).