After Lionel Scaloni announced the squad led by Lionel Messi for Argentina’s upcoming friendlies in the United States against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, controversy erupted in Spain over the inclusion of Thiago Almada. The Atletico Madrid player has been training separately for more than a month due to a muscle problem.

During the last round of South American World Cup Qualifiers, Almada picked up an injury that ruled him out of Diego Simeone’s plans. His call-up for Argentina’s next two games — scheduled for Friday, October 10 and Monday, October 13 — sparked criticism in Spain.

Spanish media questioned how Almada could not be fit to play for Atletico but was still summoned to represent Argentina. However, in the last few hours, Scaloni decided to rule the 24-year-old attacker out of bo

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