Argentina forward Lionel Messi returns to Barcelona

Argentina forward Lionel Messi has been ruled out of Tuesday's friendly with Nigeria after being granted permission to return to club side Barcelona.

The 30-year-old featured in Saturday afternoon's 1-0 win over Russia in Moscow, playing the full 90 minutes and playing a key part in Sergio Aguero's winning goal.

Messi will not be part of Jorge Sampaoli's squad for the midweek match against Nigeria in Krasnador, however, as he has instead returned to Catalonia.

A tweet on the Argentina team's official account confirmed the news, but it is not thought to be injury related.

Argentina qualified for the 2018 World Cup thanks to a 3-1 win over Ecuador last month in the final round of CONMEBOL fixtures.