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It's been a punitive 3 months for the Five times Ballon d'or winner and Argentine national team captain, Lionel Messi. Being a Messi fan, I have also been counting the days of the ban and hoping it elapsed as soon as possible. I have missed the Barcelona talisman in Argentine colours and I'm glad he is back after a while. You will recall that the FIFA Best player of the year was suspended by CONMEBOL during the last Copa America tournament which was played in Brazil. Messi was also given his marching orders during Argentina's third place game with Chile, where he had a clash with Gary Medel. However, Messi's comments infuriated CONMEBOL and the body slammed the Best player in the World 3 months match ban. The referees had declined using VAR after Sergio Aguero was brought down in the goal area, prompting the Barcelona skipper to brand the organizers of the competition as Corrupt and disrespectful. The decision of CONMEBOL didn't go down well with me because of the autocratic posture of football bodies, maybe I'm being too sentimental about it, but I think too much gagging of players isn't palatable.

But everything is over now and we will be seeing the Barcelona skipper in the national team as Argentina warm up to play some tough international matches this November. It's gonna be a tough November for Scaloni and he will be a bit relieved to have his captain back in the line up as they prepare to face the South American Champions Brazil, Uruguay and even Paraguay. These are tough international fixtures and the Albiceleste will be looking forward to consolidating their pride in the continent. The Barcelona captain has missed some post Copa America friendlies already, returning ahead of Brazil and Uruguay clashes will add so much confidence in the squad. When it comes to Brazil vs Argentina matches, it's always a beautiful spectacle to behold as a passionate football fan. Whether it's a friendly match or a World Cup final, the tension and frenzy is always high. It's a game of pride and both teams are always eager to show they are the king of the continent. Sergio Aguero also earned a call from Lionel Scaloni ahead of their double headed clashes with Brazil and Uruguay in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Tel Aviv respectively. However, I'm surprised not to see Icardi and Angel Di Maria on the list so far. Di Maria is currently in form and is doing pretty well at PSG since this season, it beats my imagination why his services is not needed ahead of Argentina's international games.