Messi and the Argentina national team had to use oxygen-breathing tubes when they arrived in Bolivia.

Argentina’s players are provided with private oxygen to cope with thin air at high altitude, before the clash with host Bolivia in the 2026 World Cup qualifier in South America.

Located at an altitude of nearly 3,700m above sea level, Hernado Siles (located in La Paz city, home of the Bolivian national team) is an obsession for any professional football player in the world. Lionel Messi once vomited and lay on the field when Argentina met Bolivia in a 2014 World Cup qualifying match.

In 2017, Neymar wrote on his personal Instagram, “Normal people cannot play football in Hernando Siles.” When traveling to La Paz, football teams must be equipped with oxygen tanks to supplement oxygen because the air here is too thin and not suitable for normal breathing conditions.

With experience from previous visits to Bolivia, Argentina has carefully prepared for this trip. It can be seen that defender Cristian Romero got off the bus to the hotel with a small oxygen tube in his left hand. The Tottenham star got off the bus in front of Camino Real, a hotel located in the Calacoto area, right in front of Messi. He held in his hand a small tube that supplied oxygen separately to minimize the effects of air thinning at altitude.

Similarly, Liverpool’s rookie midfielder Alexis Mac Allister posted a photo while he was using an oxygen tube in La Paz. Because of the harsh conditions, in the past the Argentina team encountered difficulties many times in La Paz. As for Messi, El Pulga has only won 1 of 4 away matches against Bolivia in his entire career up to this point.

Before the Argentina vs Bolivia match on September 13, Leo Messi’s ability to play is still open due to physical problems. However, the captain who helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup still affirmed that the 36-year-old striker will definitely play against Bolivia.