Lionel Messi was left fuming with Uruguay after Argentina's 2-0 defeat on Friday morning, but he completely contradicted himself with some of the comments he made! Here was what he said and why it wasn't totally fair.
Check Out: Messi Causes Stir, 'Grabs' Uruguay Star By Neck In Shock Loss
In the early hours of Friday morning, the 2022 FIFA World Cup champions suffered their first defeat since losing to Saudi Arabia in their opening match of the tournament last year in Qatar, after goals from Uruguay's Ronald Araujo and Darwin Nunez. The away team stunned Argentina and fans at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, in what was a typical tension-filled World Cup qualifying encounter between two giants of South America.
Messi cut a frustrated figure throughout the match and became uncharacteristically involved in more than one on-field spat. He even had his hand around an opponent's neck at one point, an action for which he could have easily been sent off. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner escaped punishment, but he wasn't ready to count his luck when it came time for a post-match interview. The captain, visibly upset, took aim at Uruguay's younger players with a scathing message, saying: "I'd rather not say what I'm thinking but the [younger Uruguayans] need to learn. They have a good group. But they need to learn from the veterans how to respect. These games are always intense but very respectful, so they have to learn a little."
But what was the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain referencing?
In the first-half, Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte made an X-rated gesture towards Messi's teammate Rodrigo De Paul with his mouth, perhaps suggesting the Atletico Madrid player was a suck up to his captain, with the ex-Udinese man sometimes jokingly referred to as the superstar's bodyguard by people online due to the many pictures of him standing beside Messi on the internet. It's a light-hearted gag most of the time, but Ugarte thought he would use it as an insult to De Paul and it didn't go down very well.
However, Messi's comments were contradictory. For someone who has generally kept his composure better than most throughout his career, there's a lack of self-awareness on his part in this case. The Inter Miami No. 10 suggested Uruguay's younger players should respect opponents older than them, but this is coming from the guy who infamously turned to Louis van Gaal to celebrate after scoring against Netherlands at the quarter-final round. He didn't leave it there, though! Messi even angrily approached the Dutchman after the game, which Argentina won on penalties, only adding insult to injury for the veteran tactician.
I think, if he reflects on his comments, Messi would probably admit that he was more upset about the result and his team's performance than about the war of words on the field. He did touch on the actual game, admitting he and his colleagues battled to handle Uruguay's intensity off the ball, and he even gave credit to former Argentina manager Marcelo Bielsa for making life difficult for them. That's where he should have started his post-match interview, and that's also where it should have ended. Instead, he came across as a sore loser, but I suppose his behaviour is a reminder that winning, especially for his country, still means everything to him.
Opinion by @KurtLaduma
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