Why Dybala and Molina are blocked from Messi’s farewell despite 2022 squad invite
AS Roma has blocked players Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina from attending Lionel Messi's farewell match in Argentina. The club cited the logistical difficulty of the intercontinental trip and the proximity of upcoming Serie A matches as the primary reasons for the decision.
Why it matters
It illustrates the tension between club-level professional commitments and the personal or ceremonial interests of international football stars.
Lionel Messi's final Argentina appearance was supposed to bring together almost the entire group that helped him win the 2022 World Cup, but two familiar faces will be missing from the occasion. Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina were both invited to attend the farewell with their families, yet their return to Argentina will have to wait after Roma decided the timing was simply too difficult for the club.Roma block Dybala and Molina from travelling to ArgentinaAFA president Claudio Tapia invited every member of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad to attend Messi's farewell against Benin, with the players and their families expected to be part of the celebrations at the Estadio Monumental.Dybala and Molina have now become the first two confirmed absences from that group, after Roma refused to release the pair for the transatlantic trip despite neither player being involved with Argentina during the current international window.Roma explained their decision…
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