Brazil captain Thiago Silva slams Lionel Messi for exploiting poor refereeing decisions on his return to international football
Lionel Messi scored on his return to international football, as his first-half goal proved to be the difference between the two arch-rivals Brazil and Argentina in the Superclásico de las Américas - the annual international friendly between the two nations.
But, not everyone was impressed by the on-field display of the La Albiceleste captain, as his opposite number from the Seleção, Thiago Silva, accused him of influencing the referee's decisions throughout the match.
Though a friendly, this fixture was a highly anticipated one, as it marked the return of the Barcelona talisman to the national squad following his three-month ban after his controversial statements during the Copa America.
Silva criticizes Messi as well as the officials
The Paris Saint-Germain defender was clearly not happy with the special treatment the 32-year-old was getting from the officials. He said:
"He kicked two people and the referee did nothing. I argued with the ref and he kept laughing. You have to put admiration to one side. "
He also pointed out that in the LaLiga too, referees often award decisions in favor of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. He continued:
"He always looks to force the referee to give them free-kicks in dangerous areas, he always acts in that way. We spoke with some players who play in Spain and the same thing happens, he looks to control the game and the referee's decisions."
"In the Champions League he doesn't have that advantage because the referees are tougher. You don't see him trying to rule so much.
"There are referees that, because of their admiration for him, start to weigh in on his side. That we didn't have Neymar on our side was a disadvantage."
Silva further slammed the left-footed attacker for clashing with coach Tite during the match and disrespecting him. He said:
"It's hard to understand when we talk about respect on the pitch, and one of the most admired players in the world does that, you don't do that to an older person but being that it was a coach... as much as there is rivalry, respect has to come first."
Messi now has 69 goals at the international level, which makes him the third-highest active goalscorer behind India's Sunil Chhetri and his adversary Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 98 goals for Portugal.