Argentina began preparations for the World Cup on Friday in Qatar and immediately faced the first anxious moment of the campaign.
Their captain and star forward Lionel Messi will be carrying the hopes of the nation during the World Cup but it was his absence from the team's first training session that got the most attention.
The PSG star was not seen during the open training session at the team's Qatar University base. It raised concerns about Messi's fitness and even resulted in speculation about a possible injury during his team's friendly against the UAE.
However, Argentine outlet Ole stated that Messi started Friday's training session in the gym as part of a 'special' programme. He reportedly joined Lionel Scaloni's squad for the second half of the training session.
The team flew in early Thursday from Abu Dhabi, where they beat UAE 5-0 in their final World Cup warm-up on Wednesday night with Messi, 35, scoring his 91st international goal.
One of the favourites going into this year's World Cup, the South Americans will begin their campaign on Tuesday against Saudi Arabia in Group C, which also includes Mexico and Poland.
Messi has lifted a number trophies but the tournament in Qatar is likely to be his final chance to equal the achievement of fellow Argentine great Diego Maradona, a World Cup winner in 1986.
However, the Paris Saint-Germain forward was cautious about the team's chances.
"We are very excited," the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner said in an interview with CONMEBOL, the South American football federation.
"We have a very nice group that is very eager, but we think about going little by little. We know that World Cup groups are not easy."
