Lionel Messi just couldn't stay away from Barcelona. The star has cut his vacation short and arrived back to Barcelona seven days ahead of schedule to join preseason training in England.
Messi, who dramatically came up short in the Copa America final one month ago, was scheduled to join his club team on Aug. 1 after a break, but the club announced on Saturday that he will instead return Monday and he will be joined by Turkey captain Arda Turan.
It's good news for fans in the UK who may now get to see the 29-year-old star in action. Barcelona is off to England on Monday for five days of training at St. George's Park and then a friendly match against Celtic in Dublin on July 30.
For Messi, who spent much of his break on a yacht in Ibiza, he may be ready to move on from the heartbreak he experienced in the Copa America Centenario. It was after that loss to Chile in the final that he announced he would not continue with the Argentine national team. His return to Barca surely allows him to turn the page.
The other first-team Barca players set to travel to England for the preseason with Messi include Luis Suarez, Jordi Masip, Munir El Haddadi, Sergi Roberto, Adriano, Aleix Vidal, Jeremy Mathieu, Denis Suarez, Sergi Samper, Cristian Tello and Martin Montoya.
Missing for the match in Dublin will be stars Andres Iniesta, Javier Mascherano, Claudio Bravo, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic, who are all expected to join the team within the first eight days of August.
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