Lionel Messi Misses Son’s Birthday, Opts to Travel With Argentina Despite Being Injured

• Lionel Messi has been praised for travelling to Bolivia by his fellow Argentina teammates
• The team captain was unfit and ended up not being involved, but his side won 3-0
• Rodrigo De Paul revealed that the former PSG star skipped his son's birthday to travel with the squad

Argentina players have hailed their captain, Lionel Messi, for choosing to travel to Bolivia despite not being fully fit.

Messi was part of the entourage that made the trip to the dreaded capital of La Paz in their second 2026 World Cup qualifying match.

The Inter Miami star was a doubt for the match, having come off in their 1-0 over Ecuador last week. Head coach, Lionel Scaloni opted to omit him from the squad altogether.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner looked happy on the bench as he watched his teammates brush aside the hosts at the Hernando Siles stadium.

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Messi skipped son's birthday

It has now emerged that Messi had the option to go home and celebrate his son's birthday but chose to travel with his fellow World Cup champions.

"He’s an absolute leader and an example of love and care for the team. He could have gone away and enjoyed his son’s birthday and yet he came here with us," said Rodrigo De Paul, as quoted by Albiceleste Talk.

The said son is Mateo, who turned 8 on September 11. It is not clear whether they (Messi's sons) travelled to Argentina with their father or remained in Miami.

"Messi could have gone home, but he wanted to accompany us. This is something to be proud of," said goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Goals from Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Tagliafico, and Nicolas Gonzalez ensured Argentina maintained a perfect start to the qualifiers, as reported by Sporting News.

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Angel Di Maria vs. Bolivia

Sports Brief also reported that Angel Di Maria possesses pure magic in his boots. Regardless of any criticism about his time at Manchester United, there's no disputing that he stands among the world's elite playmakers.

The 35-year-old certainly put on a show for his teammates regardless of the altitude in La Paz. Di Maria whipped in a low pass to Fernandez, who slotted home beautifully for Argentina during their game versus Bolivia.