Tired of all the rumors surrounding his presence in the Argentinean National Team, Lionel Messi finally stepped up to clarify all claims about him having a direct hand in picking the squad or even the coaching staff.
Speaking in an interview with TyC Sports, "La Pulga" dismissed such claims due to the fact that he's not the only "star" in the team.
"I laugh at such claims, it's amazing the kind of rubbish some guys print. Masche, Biglia, Di Maria and others are football stars as well, they're not regular players. Saying that they made it into the squad because of me is disrespectful to them and to me," Messi stated.
"I never asked for a player to be excluded or added to the team, it's not who I am. I'm here to give my best," the player added.
Later, Messi spoke about the problems Argentina faced during the World Cup Qualifiers, which had Argentina on the verge of missing the tournament for the first time since the 1970 edition.
"We simply couldn't afford being left out, we really suffered to do so. I remember that every time I traveled back to Barcelona, I kept looking at all possible scenarios for us to make it to the World Cup," the player revealed.
Speaking about the 2018 World Cup draw, Messi went out and said there's one team he'd love to avoid in the Group Stage.
"I hope we don't get to play against Spain. They're one of the most complicated teams we could face in that stage," Messi concluded.
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