New Argentina coach Diego Maradona will find it hard to count on Lionel Messi for the national team’s upcoming games as an agreement between the country’s soccer federation and his Spanish club exists.
On Thursday the former Argentine soccer legend met with the FC Barcelona player during a European tour.
Messi, who is known among the soccer world as one of the world’s best attackers, will not not be there in the list of players for the first game in charge. The first game will be an exhibition against Scotland on Nov. 19. Messi also wont be playing the next match against France in February. The agreement between the Argentine soccer federation and Barcelona is preventing Messi from playing. The 21-year-old star had led his country to the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Maradona’s first competitive game in charge will be a South American World Cup qualifier at Venezuela in March, where Messi is expected to pad for Argentina. Maradona had a talk with Messi that lasted for about 40 minutes alongside Argentina manager Carlos Bilardo. Maradona said, he is not interested inshooting right ahead of anyone and looking forward for an amicable settlement of issues.

Maradona, who moved to Liverpool later to meet with Javier Mascherano, said the trip to Barcelona served its purpose. Messi had told the soccer legend that he wanted “to play every game.” Maradona is also expected to meet with Barcelona president Joan Laporta after his return from Brussels, Belgium.

Maradona, who was appointed as the new coach of Argentina national side from Alfio Basile on Tuesday, dined with several of Real Madrid’s four Argentine players on Wednesday. He may move out for a trip abroad on team business. He has created a stir by stripping Javier Zanetti of the captaincy in favour of Mascherano. He is also expected to meet Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez in England before departing to Munich, Germany.

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