Argentine Soccer Federation (AFA) president Claudio Tapia has called on fans to give superstar FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi some time to come to a decision about his future with the national team. "We have a lot of confidence in him. We have to leave him alone, let him get himself together, let him start his tournament in Spain and next year ... we'll see," Tapia told Radio Mitre on Tuesday.

Tapia said he was in contact with Messi, who was Argentina's captain at the World Cup in Russia, last Friday, when the South American country celebrated Friends Day, reports EFE news agency. "I think we have a good back-and-forth relationship," the AFA president said, adding that he thought Messi would want to continue playing with the national team.