Argentina World Cup team complete by Messi arrival

Lionel Messi, who plays for Spanish soccer club Barcelona, arrived in Buenos Aires on Sunday, completing the team of 23 players who will travel to Germany for the World Cup.

After spending Sunday with his family, he will join manager Jose Pekerman and the rest of the Argentine squad at the Argentine Soccer Association (AFA) training ground on Monday.

"I am still not ready to play a full 90 minutes," Messi, known as "la pulga" (the flea) told media in Buenos Aires's Ezeiza airport. Messi tore a muscle in his right leg during the Champions League quarter finals match where Barcelona beat English league team Chelsea.

"Every player dreams of being in the World Cup and winning the championship. Let's hope that happens to us," he said.

He also told media that he had felt frustration last week, because he could not play in the Champions League final, even though his team beat English league team Arsenal 2-1 in Paris. He has been inactive for two months and now is filled with a desire to play.

On the topic of Argentina's World Cup team, he said "I am happy that they called up Oscar Ustari, but I would also have liked to be with Sergio Aguero, because they were my team-mates in the under-20 team," he said. Argentina won the under-20 World Cup in Holland in 2005.

He said he also felt hurt by the exclusion of Geman Lux and Javier Zanetti, but said that all these were decisions made by the management.

"I have come to play."

The Argentine team will play a farewell friendly against the under-20 national team on the River Plate pitch on Wednesday. On Thursday, the team will head for Germany to begin final preparations for the Cup, which begins on June 9. Argentina is in Group C alongside Holland, Ivory Coast and Serbia and Montenegro.

Its first game will be against Cote d'Ivoire on June 10 in Hamburg.

Source: Xinhua