Lionel Messi and the Argentina national team will head to Asia for a summer tour to see the South American side play in a couple of friendly matches.
The first friendly match will occur on June 15 in Beijing against Australia; meanwhile, the second contest will be organized on June 19 against Indonesia in Jakarta.
The Socceroos will face world champions Argentina in Beijing on June 15 in crucial preparation for their Asian Cup tilt and World Cup qualifying.
The long-rumoured friendly clash at the newly-renovated Workers’ Stadium is to go ahead, just over six months after Argentina beat Australia 2-1 in the World Cup round of 16 in Qatar, Football Australia confirmed on Monday.
‘To secure a match against the world champions Argentina reflects Australia’s standing within world football and the respect that the top nations have for both our senior national teams,’ FA chief executive James Johnson said in a statement.
The Socceroos also have a hotly-anticipated friendly match against England at Wembley Stadium in October.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina are the world No.1 in the latest FIFA rankings, with Australia sitting 29th.
The world’s best player Lionel Messi of Argentina (with ball) runs past Socceroo Mitchell Duke during the teams’ clash at the World Cup in Qatar
In China, this poster will mark the grand return of international football after three years of strict health restrictions, emptying the stadiums and leading to a cascade of cancellations of sports competitions.
Messi and the Argentina national team are coming off winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup, so it comes as no surprise they’re taking the demand to see Messi and Co. on the road since this summer there’s no international competition.
Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if the 35-year-old will have his future set before these international friendlies as the Paris Saint-Germain star will become a free agent as his contract with the free agent expires on June 30.
