Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano has revealed thatLionel Messi's return to international footballstopped him from also announcing his retirement form Argentina's senior squad.
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi announced his retirement from the international sceneearlier this summerafter Argentina fell to a penalty shoot-out defeat to Chile in the Copa America final, marking theirthird straight final defeat.
But Messi's decision was short lived, as in August he announced that he would be returning to international football to prepare for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Mascherano believes that Messi's return prevented a national team exodus,telling Olethat that Barce star's departurewould have seen many players, including himself, also hang up their boots.
Mascherano: Messi made a good decision to return. It would have been a sin not seeing him play in the #ARG shirt.� pic.twitter.com/PKpyfaQw17
The 32-year-old said:"At my age and because of all the years I have been with the national team, certain rumours start to swirl after a loss like that [Copa America],
"The loss to Chile said it all, so it was not the time to say anything, because everything had already been said. 'I just tried to think clearly.'
"After that match, there was a lot of talk, and then a lot of things happened over the next month, after Gerardo [Martino] quit and we had to see how the story developed."
Javier Mascherano on Lionel Messi: "It would have been a sin to not see him playing in the Argentina shirt.� pic.twitter.com/eaf6CQNvB4
He continued:"The fact that a teammate and a friend, who is also the [Argentina] captain, said that he didn't want to come back anymore, made you think. We all asked ourselves what we would do if Leo didn't return. Because behind that decision there was a reason," Mascherano told AS."Either Leo would come back or he would never come back again."
"It wasn't a decision that Leo took in the heat of the moment," Mascherano said. "He had his reasons.
"And now, because of his commitment to the Argentina national team, he is back and we have to value it."
Mascherano: Messi not returning would've had consequences for the team and impact at the global level.� #WeAreMessi pic.twitter.com/oDKstupzuU
Mascherano, who is the second-most capped Argentina player of all time, went on to claim that it was have 'been a sin' for Argentine supporters to see their national team line-up without the likes of Lionel Messi leading the line.
"It would have been a sin for Argentinians to be deprived of watching Messi play with the national team," the Barcelona defender added.
"It wouldn't have been fair for him nor for the Argentinian people. The situation was resolved in a normal way, with his return to the national team."