Lionel Messi will be back with Argentina's national side when it takes on Bolivia in a friendly this weekend.

The Ballon d'Or front-runner has been under heavy fire for the Copa America failure this past summer, and there were some who were asking him to retire from the national team altogether.

However, Messi has made it clear that he plans to remain with Argentina and will look to impress this weekend.

He has a tremendous amount of support from his team and coach, and many pin him to continue thriving on the national stage.

"Messi does not hide and never shies away from criticism," said fellow Barcelona and Argentina teammate Javier Mascherano according to Goal.com. "I would hate to be Messi. He is something very special. He keeps coming to the national team even when he is about to be a father.

"We are football players who want to offer the most we can. We are honest and try to do it the best way."

Messi was far from the cause of Argentina's loss in the final of the Copa America. He led the team to the big game almost single-handedly. Just look at the 6-1 win over Paraguay to see how influential his playmaking was in making that lopsided win happen. And then he did his utmost to help Argentina in the final. He was shut down for a large portion of that game, but when given space, he made the most of it and created some chances. That his teammates, most specifically Gonzalo Higuain, were not up to the task is not his fault. Messi made his penalty kick in the shootout; he could not control the efforts of others.

He has struggled to score in his early time with Barcelona, recording no goals in the first two La Liga seasons. A few goals against CONMEBOL minnow Bolivia should not hurt.

The game starts at 8:30 p.m. EDT.