Almada, who joined Atlanta this year from Vélez Sarsfield for a reported MLS-record transfer fee of $16 million, just recently broke into Argentina’s senior team while posting 6g/12a in his debut season with the Five Stripes.

The 21-year-old midfielder earned his first cap in a 3-0 international friendly win over Honduras in September, getting praise from Messi himself after putting in a lively 36 minutes at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Although he failed to make Scaloni’s final 26-man roster for the World Cup, Almada remained an alternate in case the unexpected happened. With the injury bug biting the two-time champions, he’s now Qatar-bound.

After opening Group C action against Saudi Arabia, Argentina and Almada will then face Mexico (Nov. 26) and Poland (Nov. 30).