Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza says he believes Lionel Messi has the desire to return to international football.
Bauza hopes Messi will opt to re-join the national team for the forthcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Uruguay and Venezuela and met with the 29-year-old while in Barcelona to watch the Joan Gamper Trophy fixture.
Messi scored twice in a 3-2 win for Barcelona over Sampdoria at Camp Nou, but Bauza was unable to persuade him to reverse the decision he made to retire from the national team following June’s Copa America final defeat against Chile.
However, he remains confident that Messi will change his mind.
“I have no doubt that Leo has the desire to return, but we will wait,” said Bauza.
Earlier, the Argentina coach described his meeting with Messi and Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano to Cadena SER Radio in Catalonia, saying: “We spoke about football, about the Argentina national team, about the game against Sampdoria. It was a good chat.
“I don’t know if Messi will come back to the Argentina team. We just spoke about football.”