Argentina hires Bauza as manager from Sao Paulo

Edgardo Bauza is the man charged with trying to talk Lionel Messi out of international retirement.

The journeyed coach was appointed manager of Argentina on Monday, cutting short a stint at the helm of Sao Paulo in favour of a job overseeing his homeland.

He succeeds Gerardo Martino in the role, who guided La Albiceleste to consecutive runner-up finishes at the Copa America, prompting Barcelona star Messi to emotionally suggest that he was considering his future with the national team after June's penalty shootout defeat to Chile.

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Following a playing career where he won three international caps in defence, Bauza has coached in Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, and Saudi Arabia. He has won the Copa Libertadores twice with Liga Deportivo Universitaria de Quito in 2008 and San Lorenzo in 2014, the former arguably being his greatest achievement in club football as it comprised as the sole occasion the tournament had been won by an Ecuadorian side.

Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone and Mauricio Pochettino of Tottenham Hotspur were both linked with the Argentina job, but it'll be 58-year-old Bauza manning the touchline for the country's continuation of its 2018 World Cup qualification campaign against Uruguay on Sept. 1.