"The Messi rule" will no longer apply: Argentina to ban call-ups for players who left for Europe too early
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has unanimously approved an unprecedented measure: players who leave the country for foreign clubs before signing their first professional contract at home will no longer be eligible for call-ups to any of Argentina’s national teams at any level.
Details: According to The Athletic, this decision is aimed at protecting local clubs from the 'theft' of young talents by European giants. The main goal of the AFA is to combat a legal loophole known as patria potestad (parental authority). Under Argentine law, parents have the right to decide where their child will live and work until the age of 18. In football, this allows families to take promising teenagers to Europe (where they sign professional contracts), leaving the Argentine club that developed them with only a token training compensation instead of a full transfer fee.
The irony of the situation is that if this rule had existed earlier, the world might never have seen Lionel Messi in the iconic blue and white shirt. The legendary captain left Newell’s Old Boys for Barcelona at age 13 under exactly this scheme. Now, the federation is forcing young players to make a tough choice: either sign their first professional contract in Argentina, or give up any hope of a national team career.
The final straw for the AFA was the recent case of 16-year-old River Plate youth team captain Lucas Scarlato, who left for Italy’s Parma amid controversy.
“We are protecting the interests of our clubs,” the association stated.
Now, agents and families must consider that a rapid move to Europe for financial reasons will automatically strip their child of the chance to follow in Messi’s footsteps on the international stage.
Reminder: Lionel Messi completely overhauled his training program at Inter Miami to prepare for the World Cup.
