FIFA World Cup: Lionel Messi's World Cup squad get a new addition

Manager Lionel Scaloni pushed back on the idea that 21-year-old midfielder Almada should consider himself lucky to be in Qatar with Lionel Messi, Angel di Maria, Julián Alvarez, and other high-profile teammates. Scaloni's first press conference with the media since recalling Almada as one of two injury replacements.

"Does Almada's call-up surprise me? It doesn't surprise me because he's a player who has the level to be here. And hopefully the football world can enjoy him on the national team," Scaloni replied when asked about the $16 million MLS record signing from Velez Sarsfield.

The Argentine coach is confident that Atlanta's No. 8 will remain a mainstay in the national squad for the foreseeable future.

"He's a kid with ... an enormous future ahead of him," Scaloni continued. "And we don't just work thinking about right now, we work with the future in mind."

Despite just bursting into the starting lineup and earning his first senior cap in September's friendly against Honduras, the Atlanta United midfielder was initially left out of Lionel Scaloni's finalized 26-man roster.

While the starting lineup consisted of only 26, Almada was kept on the bench in case any of them got hurt. When Joaquin Correa (Inter Milan) and Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina) went down with an injury, he and Atletico Madrid winger Angel Correa were included.

Almada scored six goals and dished twelve assists in his first season with the Five Stripes, gaining his first senior cap in a 3-0 win against Honduras in a friendly international match. 

That September evening on the field, he won over the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, who was playing beside him.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">One more step.<br>The captain leads the way.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DareToCreate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DareToCreate</a> <a href="https://t.co/8oKjzuG3NP">pic.twitter.com/8oKjzuG3NP</a></p>&mdash; Team Messi (@TeamMessi) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamMessi/status/1146194813190062080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Lionel Messi on Thiago Almada

Paris Saint-Germain striker Lionel Messi gushed about the World Cup hopes of the club's latest addition, describing his new teammate's skill set.

"He is very, very fresh, a very, very fast player who has a lot against you, who is very mischievous, who is not afraid of anything," Messi said

In addition, Almada's dad shared what Messi had said about his son, a promising young midfielder who could get playing time if injuries mount or other players fail to meet manager Lionel Scaloni's standards.

Almada's father also told Argentinian media that he couldn't believe it when Messi spoke about his son. He described it as an excellent feeling when hearing Messi talk in a good sense about his son. 

Finally, he showed his gratitude to Messi and said that his entire family welcomed Messi's comments and that they had taken it very well.

Argentina will open Group C play against Saudi Arabia on November 22 before concluding group play against Mexico (November 26) and Poland (November 28). (November 30).

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