Lionel Messi was uncharacteristically quiet in Argentina’s 1-0 win over Brazil recently but his performance was irrelevant compared to what the victory means. It is actually the first major title for Messi in the blue and white of the national side. Lionel Messi struggled to contain his emotions and also immense happiness after the talismanic forward ended the 28-year-long wait for Argentina to win an international trophy at Maracana against Brazil.
He finally claimed top-level honors with his country in his 10th major tournament. Lionel Messi had a chance to sign off the win but slipped with the goal at his mercy, in what would have been the perfect finale for the Argentine captain. Little did people know, he has made a personal sacrifice for Argentina to win this particular Copa America.
The Argentine national team boss has revealed that Lionel Messi was carrying a hamstring injury through the victories in the semi-final and final. Lionel Messi’s below-par personal performance may now be explained through the fact he was carrying a muscular injury during the game but was intent on playing in these defining matches.
According to Scaloni, “Messi has been playing with a hamstring injury against Colombia and Brazil, after getting a knock against Ecuador. In the end, he did not throw in the towel and he succeeded. We are talking about the best footballer of all time and everyone knew how important it was for him to win a title with the national team”.
Sources: Mirror.