Lionel Messi arrived in the Argentine city of Rosario on Tuesday morning, coming from the United States, after choosing not to return to the capital Buenos Aires with the rest of the Argentine national team delegation following the loss of the 2026 World Cup final to Spain.

According to the Argentine newspaper Olé, the captain of the Tango dancers landed at the "Islas Malvinas" international airport in the city of Fisherton at 6:26 a.m. local time, on a private plane coming from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

After completing immigration procedures, Messi boarded a motorcade of cars and headed to his home in the Funes area, where he will spend several days with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and his children Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro, to rest and regain his energy after more than 50 days away from home during the World Cup competition.

According to the same source, the effects of the defeat against Spain are still strongly present, as Messi, despite being 39 years old and having a record full of collective and individual titles, feels great sadness after being close to leading Argentina to retain the World Cup title.

Messi had chosen to spend some time at his home in Miami with his family and close friends, before heading to Argentina, in an attempt to get some rest after the great physical and emotional effort he made during the tournament.

Messi is expected to return soon to his commitments with Inter Miami, which is preparing to face Chicago Fire in the MLS, but the Argentine captain will not play in the match, nor will his teammate Rodrigo De Paul.

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