Blues youngster Elkan Baggott says the chance to face Argentina - and potentially Lionel Messi - with Indonesia later this month is “a bit of a dream”.
As reported at the end of last month, the 20-year-old has been named in the Indonesian squad for their June fixtures, friendlies against Palestine in Surabaya on Wednesday 14th June and World Cup holders Argentina five days later at the 90,000 capacity Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. He has now joined up with his teammates.
Messi, who is joining MLS side Inter Miami this summer having left PSG, has been named in Argentinian squad for the game.
"Even our first game is hard for us because they [Palestine] are inside the top 100 [93rd to Indonesia’s 149th], so if we’re able to get a win from that it would be brilliant for our FIFA rankings,” he told the club site.
"But then the opportunity to play Argentina in the second game is a bit of a dream.
"I’m just going to try and enjoy it because a chance to do that doesn’t come round very often at all.
"The atmosphere is going to be amazing and I think the tickets sold out in five minutes or something like that. It’s a 90,000-seater stadium so it’s going to be an amazing experience.”
Reflecting on his 2022/23 during which time he featured regularly with League Two Gillingham in the first half of the campaign - 27 starts and two appearances from the bench, scoring his first three senior goals - then only once for League One Cheltenham in an injury hampered second, he added: "I’d say a year of two halves is a pretty good way to sum it up.
"I started the season well and played a lot of games for Gillingham, playing well, and then got the move up a league to Cheltenham which made a lot of sense.
"To not play much there was obviously frustrating so it really was a season of two halves. It’s all about learning, though, so in the long term I’m sure that it will all benefit me because I learnt so much at both clubs. That’s what it’s all about for me.”
Baggott has previously won 14 senior caps and has netted two international goals.