Lionel Messi kindly withdraws from Indonesia, leaves Tim Garuda fans irked

Messi will not travel to Jakarta and will be released early.

Lionel Messi pulls out of Argentina’s international friendly against Indonesia, leaving Tim Garuda’s fans irked. (Image: Twitter)

New Delhi: Argentina captain Lionel Messi has caused quite a stir to the surprise of Indonesian football fans when the 35-year-old world champion failed to omit himself from the upcoming international friendly against Indonesia, scheduled for Monday, June 19.

Messi returned to international duties against Australia on Thursday following a surprise move to Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami CF. Against the football, the former Barcelona and PSG man scored his career-fastest goal in 80 seconds and captivated the Beijing crowd with his impeccable dribbling and great vision of the game. He scored one and was involved in another as the three-time world champions beat the Australians 2-0.

But in the next game of the international break, according to journalist Gaston Edul, Messi will not play a role in the match against Indonesia. The Argentinian will not travel to Jakarta and will be given an early release so that he can enjoy his holiday with his family in the off-season.

Upon hearing this news, the Indonesians are not happy, as they bought tickets en masse to see the big man play live. This will be Argentina’s first time going head-to-head Tim Garuda.

It has been a long season for the Argentinian, who also took part in the World Cup in November and December. So, in a sense, we can say that the superstar soccer player deserved a vacation.

In the recently concluded season, Messi scored 21 goals and assisted 20 times in 41 appearances for PSG. He ended the club’s 2022/23 campaign with a second Ligue 1 trophy and also with the Trophee des Champions.