Last Tuesday, Argentina met Spain in an international friendly and was thrashed 6-1 in their clash in Madrid. The South American giant, hoping to end their wait for a World Cup title this summer, was without influential captain Lionel Messi.
The Barcelona superstar was not able to feature in that game due to fatigue and thus had to watch the debacle from the stands. With the tournament in Russia fast approaching, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner faces an uphill battle to get his hands on international football’s most coveted trophy.
The 30-year-old could not even watch the entire game, leaving the dressing room prematurely with several minutes remaining on the clock. One could be forgiven for thinking Leo went to lash out at his team-mates, but according to Diario Ole, his reaction was quite the opposite.
According to the Argentine newspaper, as per the Mirror, La Pulga fulfilled his role as captain and gave his fellow Albiceleste players an inspirational message. Their number 10 issued a short pep talk, calling for unity to avoid a similar shambolic performance in Russia.
"We come through this together. United," Messi told the players shortly after the final whistle. A source claims that the players received their skipper’s words well, saying: "What Leo did? No, really good, really good. Honestly, we needed it."
Sampaoli’s side has tons of work left if they wish to win the 2018 World Cup. Now, though, Messi’s focus has shifted from his national side to the Blaugrana, as they prepare for a crucial trip to Sevilla in La Liga.
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