Argentine international footballers Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, and Nicolas Otamendi will not be playing in the friendly against Singapore next Tuesday for “personal reasons”, organizers UNICESS confirmed on late Saturday night.
Currently, Argentina football team have landed at Singapore’s Changi Airport with Lionel Messi in town after the 1-0 win in the friendly match against Brazil in Australia on Friday.
According to Today Online, Messi arrived together with Albicelestes team in Singapore but then departed for the airport again a few hours later, where he is expected to fly back to Barcelona.
Messi and defender Otamendi were earlier reported to be missing the game, but organizers in Singapore had been reluctant to confirm the news, as stated by Supersports.
Apart from those 3 players, the star-studded squad of Coach Jorge Sampaoli, with Manchester United’s Sergio Romero, Paris Saint Germain’s Angel Di Maria and Juventus striker Paulo Dybala, all set to start against The Lions.
The friendly was organized to celebrate the Football Association of Singapore’s 125th anniversary.