Argentina unveils Scaloni's first squad list without Messi

The wait is over, and the first post-Messi squad list has arrived. Argentina's national team confirmed its roster on Tuesday for the upcoming friendlies against Uruguay (November 13, in Buenos Aires) and Costa Rica (November 17, in Cordoba), marking the first time in a long while that Lionel Messi's name is missing from Lionel Scaloni's lineup.

Messi himself bid farewell to international football just a month ago, scoring in a 3-0 win over Benin in Buenos Aires. It was his 208th appearance for Argentina and the 126th goal of his career with the national team, closing out a 21 year story that included two Copa America titles and a World Cup. Now it's time to look ahead, strange as that may feel.

Among the 28 call-ups, one name stands out for reasons that have nothing to do with form on the field: Emiliano Martinez, the Chelsea goalkeeper, was included even though he has yet to return to Premier League action following jaw surgery for an injury sustained against Everton early last month. To share goalkeeping duties, Scaloni also brought in three other keepers: Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso and Santiago Beltran.

Anselmino's debut and the familiar faces

There is one true newcomer: Aaron Anselmino, 21, received his first call-up to the senior squad. The defender joined Chelsea in 2024 in a deal worth $18,000,000 (13.4 million pounds) and has since gone out on loan to Boca Juniors, Borussia Dortmund and Strasbourg. Back at Chelsea this season, he has yet to log official minutes under Xabi Alonso after picking up an injury in a friendly against Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim.

The rest of the list blends routine with continuity. Enzo Fernandez and Geronimo Rulli, both of Manchester City, are in, along with Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United and the Roma trio of Santiago Castro, Matias Soule and Leonardo Balerdi. Also returning are Valentin Barco (Chelsea) and Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), joined by Julian Alvarez, Giuliano Simeone and Juan Musso, all three from Atletico Madrid.

Rounding out the squad are Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Roman Vega (Zenit), Bayer Leverkusen pair Facundo Medina and Ezequiel Fernandez, and Maximo Perrone (Como). From River Plate come Thiago Almada, Santiago Beltran and Gonzalo Montiel, while Palmeiras contributes Agustin Giay and Jose Manuel Lopez. Also included are Mariano Troilo (Parma), Franco Mastantuono (Fiorentina), Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica) and Exequiel Palacios (Ipswich Town).

With Messi now outside the picture, these two friendlies are starting to offer clues about how Scaloni envisions the generational handover. No single name can replace a legend overnight, but the list makes clear there is plenty of young talent mixed in with the familiar faces, and that post-Messi Argentina already has its first chapter written.