Messi’s ankle. Messi didn’t show up for training. Was Messi with the other players?
The physical condition of the star and captain monopolizes discussions about Argentina. In his last career World Cup (something he confirmed), the number 10 ensured he was in good shape physically. No problem, swear. Anything. Zero.
“I feel very good. I arrive in a great moment, both personally and physically, and I don’t have any problems. I heard that I trained separately because I had taken a hit, but it was just in case. No big deal”, he said, in an interview. on the eve of Argentina’s World Cup debut.
At 1 pm (BrasÃlia time) on Tuesday (22), the team faces Saudi Arabia at the Lusail stadium.
This Monday (21), he participated in training at the University of Qatar. This, instead of dispelling the doubts, made them increase. Photos taken of her right foot showed the ankle being an abnormally large size, looking very swollen.
Messi was not asked specifically about the topic. According to people from the AFA (Argentine Football Association), the striker trained with a small bag of cold gel under his sock. The measure would be to avoid inflammation of the site.
On Friday (18), he had stayed at the gym doing exercises. He trained alone on the field on Saturday (19), alongside a physical trainer.
The most popular name in the World Cup for the Qatari public, the star was embraced by two fans who invaded the field in the friendly against the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai, last week. It’s not a new scenario in the player’s life. Argentina’s shirt, along with Brazil’s, is the most worn by migrants who make up the majority of Qatar’s population.
“That many people who aren’t Argentine want the team to be champions because of me… I’ve always said that I’m grateful for the care I’ve received throughout my career. This is just one more example”, he said.
It was a classic Messi press conference for his country’s press. He said nothing relevant and didn’t hear any difficult questions.
“I don’t know if it’s the happiest moment of my career. I’m at a different age and more mature. Today I enjoy all of this much more, before I didn’t think about it. Sometimes, many things that happened went unnoticed, and today I’m more aware” , he explained.
He also compared the current moment of Lionel Scaloni’s selection with that experienced by the 2014 team, led by Alejandro Sabella and world runner-up. It is the period that he said, until recently, was his happiest in the national team.
“I don’t know if we got better [do que em 2014], but it is clear that we are coming from victories, and that takes a weight off our shoulders. People are not so anxious and dependent on the results and they enjoy the selection more. This group reminds me a lot of the one from 2014, which was very united and had a clear understanding of what it had to do on the field, “she noted.
The room where the interview took place was packed for the approximately 15 minutes of Lionel Messi’s presence. As he got up to leave, he was applauded by Argentine journalists.
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