Once the 2015 Copa América ended, Lionel Messi's future with La Albiceleste was heavily questioned by a number of sources, which included some sources that indicated "La Pulga" would not return with La Albiceleste until 2016. Now, with the International break in full, Messi rejoined Argentina and Javier Mascherano took the microphone to defend his Barcelona team-mate from all the criticism.
"Messi doesn't hide, he' always there to face his haters. I wouldn't stand being Lionel Messi. He chose to be here rather than being with his wife during the birth of his child, which is coming up soon," "El Jefecito" said during a press conference.
The Argentineans have not managed to win any major trophies with La Albiceleste in ten years, being heavily criticized for winning it all with Barcelona.
The seasoned midfielder also revealed how Messi & Co. took all the criticism after losing the South American tournament, stating that the players had a worse time getting over that loss than the one that ended up with La Albiceleste losing the World Cup.
"Enduring that was really painful for all of us. I can say that we were more disappointed about losing the Copa América than the World Cup. What people don't understand is that we're just footballers, we're not criminals. We are honest men and we try to do our best for our country," Mascherano added.
Argentina will embark in a two-game tour in the United States, where they will be playing against Bolivia and Mexico.
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